•*;i^j')(iv^f«'3L;'^<.'-:^^,ii>' 




i 



BASKET BALL 

FOR MEN 

BY 
WALTER E. MEANWELL, M. D., Dr. R H. 



Professor of Physical Education, Basket Ball Coach and Medi - 
cal Supervisor of Teams, University of Wisconsin; Member 
Basket Ball Rules Committee; Formerly Athletic Director, 
Glen Mills, Pa. ; Director Clifton Park Athletic Field, Su- 
pervisor of Boys' Activities, Playground Association and 
Supervisor Public Athletic League, Baltimore, Md. ; Director 
Gymnasium and Associate Professor of Physical Education, 
University of Wisconsin; Professor of Physical Education, 
Director of Department of Physical Education and Basket 
Ball Coach, University of Missouri ; Captain Medical Corps, 
U. S. Army. 



1922 






Copyright, 1922, by 
W. E. MEANWELL 



Published December, 1922 



DEMOCRAT PRINTING COMPANY 
MADISON, WISCONSIN 



DEC 11*22 

©CU692527 



PREFACE 

In any competitive sport tAVO factors always 
require the serious attention of a coach, skill in 
the technique of the game and perfect balance 
in the physical functions of those participating. 
In this volume Dr. Meanwell, basing his opin- 
ions on the experiences of years of successful 
basket ball coaching, gives to the coach and 
player alike the common sense rules of condi- 
tioning and training which are of value not only 
in emphasizing the importance of proper prepa- 
ration for this sport, but in correcting many of 
the fallacies and superstitions of former meth- 
ods of coaching and training. Basket ball must 
be considered a major sport in which structural 
injuries are not common, but in which serious 
functional damage may occur in the youth un- 
less intelligently and skillfully supervised. 
Therefore, definite instruction from one who 
has carried so many teams through seasons of 
strenuous games is most acceptable to those 



viii PREFACE 

who are interested in interscholastic and inter- 
collegiate sports, not only because of the stimu- 
lus of competition, but because of the benefits to 
the individual in properly directed big muscle 
activities. 

Joseph A. Evai^s, M.D., 
Professor of Medicine^ 
University of Wisconsin. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. History of Basket Ball . . , . 1 

II. Equipment of the Player .... 10 

III. Training and Conditioning ... 16 

IV. Care of Minor Injuries .... 30 
V. Changes in the Eules .... 39 

VI. Technique — Passing 51 

VII. Shooting 64 

VIII. Dribbling 82 

IX. Defense — Individual Technique . . 95 

X. Defense— Team Methods .... 99 

XL Offense— Team Methods . .... 120 

XII. The Selection of Plays— Center-Back 

Attack 129 

XIII. The S,hort-Pass, Pivot-Pass, 

Floor Play ...... 142 

XIV. The Long-Shot, and the Long-Pass, 

Attacks 148 



X CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XY. Out-of-Bounds Plays 153 

XVI. Plays from Foul Shot Position . . 168 

XVII. Tip-off Plays Nos, 40 to 53 . . . 172 

XVIII. Coaching Generalities . . . . 190 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Wisconsin-Ohio Game 1916 . . Frontispiece 



LATE 






FACING PAGE 


A. One Hand, Underhand Pass .... 56 


B. Two Hand, Underhand Pass 








. 56 


C. Hook Pass or Shot 








. 60 


D. Hook Pass or Shot 








. 60 


E. Hook Pass or Shot . . 








. 60 


F. Hook Pass or Shot . . 








. 60 


G. Overjiand Chest Shot 




. 




. 66 


H. Overhand Chest Shot 








. m 


I. Cross Body Shoulder Shot 








68 


J. Cross Body Shoulder Shot 




• 


• 


68 


K. Cross Body Shoulder Shot 








68 


L. One Hand Shove Shot . 








. 70 


M. Defense Positions 








. 96 


N. Defense Positions 








96 


0. Defense Positions 








. 96 



INTRODUCTION 

There has been such a demand for informa- 
tion as to the methods employed in the training 
and conditioning of my teams, and in teaching 
the individual and team technique of the pivot 
and short pass style of game, that I have found 
recourse to publication of the material advis- 
able. 

In this book I endeavor to explain only the 
type of game that I have employed with my own 
teams and I exclude from consideration other 
varieties of basket ball, however efficient and 
satisfactory they may be. I have found the 
pivot and pass game to be steadier and more 
consistent in my hands than other styles of 
play, and more likely to produce a leading per- 
centage of victories regardless of occasional de- 
feats, usually inflicted by teams trained and 
pointed for that particular contest, than any 
other type of game. That this opinion is shared 
by others is illustrated by the spread of the 
pivot-pass style of game thru the successful 
coaching of a number of my former pupils, now 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

in important positions. In fact, at this time, 
the pivot and pass style of play is being em- 
ployed in the Western Conference by the Uni- 
versities of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio 
State — a fact that will not lighten my owa 
problems. 

To those who criticise the short-pass game as 
being too fatiguing I would answer that the 
records of my teams show them to be materially 
better in the second than in the first half, and 
towards the close rather than at the beginning 
of the season — ^both good tests of condition. 

To those who feel that the highly developed 
individual and team play is too advanced for 
boys of high school age I cite the fact that I 
originated the pivot-pass game for Settlement 
House teams composed of boys 16 years and 
under, and that those teams played as well and 
as successfully as any of my subsequent ones. 

The training and conditioning methods are 
based on the principles of the physiology of ex- 
ercise and of dietetics, rather than on the empir- 
ical ideas of old time athletic training. It has 
been my observation that most players are 
worked too hard and too often and that many 
unnecessary and harmful restrictions as to diet 



INTRODUCTION xv 

are imposed on them; and my experience that 
men can be brought to perfect condition for ath- 
letics, without recourse to unusual methods, and 
mth a minimum of disturbance of their normal 
modes of life. 

Walter E. Me an well. 



BASKET BALL 

CHAPTER I 
HISTORY OF BASKET BALL 

Unique Origin — Basket ball is nniqne among 
the national sports, in that it was a deliberate 
invention to meet the need for an indoor game 
which would be the great seasonal game in win- 
ter, as football is in Fall, and base ball in 
Summer. 

Basket 'ball was deliberately originated in 
1892, by Doctors Naismith and Gulick, at the 
International Y. M. C. A. Training School, 
Springfield, Massachusetts. Apparatus work 
and class exercises, indoor track, recreative 
games, boxing, wrestling, and other forms of 
exercise were conducted then, as now, indoors, 
and while many participated in them, the num- 
ber was but a fraction of those who played the 
great outdoor games. Also, there was an evi- 
dent dearth of interest and enthusiasm for the 
indoor games of that date as compared to the 

1 



2 BASKET BALL 

outdoor games. Something vital and worth 
while in the latter was lacking in the indoor 
activities aside from considerations of space 
and facilities. Stndy and analysis of the great 
popular games was therefore begun to ascer- 
tain the bases of their popularity. 

Origin and Characteristics of the Great 
Games — The origin of the other great team 
games is obscure. They came into existence as 
the spontaneous activities of associated youth, 
and not as the work of any individual or group 
in particular. They developed gradually, 
through many years, and finally came to have 
more or less uniform rules in the course of cen- 
turies of play. Thus foot ball dates back a 
thousand years to its obscure beginning in Eng- 
land, while the other great traditional sports, as 
Baseball, LaCrosse, Cricket, etc., were prac- 
ticed, in their original forms, centuries ago. 
They all present a history of gradual evolution 
as to style of play, rules, numbers engaged, and 
the like. They all possess similar play elements 
and major characteristics, chief of which are : 

Competition — A youth delights to measure 
his strength, endurance, skill, strategy, and dar- 
ing with his fellows ; Cooperation — or the team 
element, by which he strives for the success of 



HISTORY OF BASKET BALL 3 

Hs team rather than for his own individual 
glory, and wins or loses with his gronp, though 
still amply able to display ability and initia- 
tive and to achieve personal distinction; Per- 
sonal Contact — the shock of man to man, which 
requires and encourages in the players the de- 
velopment of speed, strength, skill, courage and 
endurance, and high powers of co-ordination. 
All were games played with a ball, which in- 
sures by its vagaries a multitude of rapid 
changes and possibilities, and which in conse- 
quence requires numberless immediate deci- 
sions and responses. 

These were the chief characteristics of the old 
games, were the ones selected for incorpora- 
tion into the new one to be produced, and are 
the chief bases for its tremendous growth, and 
popularity. Because of them, basket ball re- 
wards its devotees more generously than does 
any other sport, with symmetrical physical de- 
velopment, strength, ability, endurance, fine 
powers of coordination, and habits of correct 
physical response; For training in initiative, 
decisiveness, and immediate response, and for 
developing traits of leadership, basket ball is 
second to no other play activity. Each member 
of the team is and must be his own field general, 
and is chiefly on his own responsibility during 



4 BASKET BALL 

play, following out the main plan of the game 
in general, and cooperating with his fellows 
along established lines, but meeting the ever 
changing situations according to his own re- 
sourcefulness and initiative. That such a game 
develops the manly qualities and the essentials 
of leadership in an unusual degree is well illus- 
trated by the record achieved in the recent war 
by the basket ball letter men of my six Wiscon- 
sin teams, from 1912 to '17 inclusive. There 
were nineteen in all. Every man but one won 
a commission in the branch of the service that 
he entered ; six became captains, and two were 
decorated or cited for gallantry in action. 

Principles — In addition to the play elements 
enumerated, certain principles were also estab- 
lished for basket ball. These were, first, that 
the new game should demand of and develop in 
the players the highest type of physical and ath- 
letic development ; second, that it should be so 
readily learned that any individual could soon 
make a fair showing at, and gain pleasure from, 
the play, without a long period of practice; 
third, that on account of the varying sizes of 
the buildings available for the purpose, any 
ordinary hall or gynmasium would suffice, and 
that the equipment would be simple ; last, that 



HISTORY OF BASKET BALL 5 

it should be pleasing to beginners and yet be 
capable of such development as to hold the con- 
tinued interest of the most experienced and 
proficient of players. 

Evolution of the Game — Peach baskets for 
goals were at first used, and a football. The 
present rules and equipment were gradually 
evolved. The rules for men at one time in- 
cluded the division of the court by lines some- 
what as in the present girl's game. Nine, seven, 
and finally five men have constituted the teams, 
and generally, basket ball has been gradually 
improved and modified as were the older team 
games, excepting that the process has been a 
much speedier one — just as the game is speedier 
than its predecessors. 

Extension — The adoption and promotion of 
basket ball by the Y. M. C. A. led to its rapid 
extension throughout the country and thus, 
finally, to its acceptance by Colleges, other edu- 
cational institutions and by athletic clubs gen- 
erally. Because of its vigorous character, skill, 
speed, openness, and the beauty of its team 
play, basket ball has become the major sport 
of the indoor season. The simplicity and com- 
parative cheapness of its equipment, and the 
fact that but five are needed on a team, espe- 



6 BASKET BALL 

cially adapts basket ball to the requirements 
of small institutions, high schools, boys clubs, 
and the like. It is often the only representa- 
tive game for such organizations. All this has 
placed basket ball in the lead of all other sports 
A^ith respect to the number of its players, and 
of teams engaged. 

Rules — For years the Y. M. C. A. teams 
operated under a code of rules compiled by offi- 
cers of that organization, while the other prin- 
cipal promoting bodies, the Amateur Athletic 
Union and the National Collegiate Athletic 
Association, also had their own distinctive sets 
of rules. Again, and especially in the East, 
variations from all three codes of rules men- 
tioned, were observed among the professional 
and independent teams. Diversity of rules and 
of types of play so hindered the progress of the 
game that several years ago a Joint Rules Com- 
mittee, comprised of representatives from all 
three of the organizations named, met and for- 
mulated one uniform code kno^^ai as the Official 
Rules. This Committee still meets annually to 
consider changes and improvements. 

The adoption of one official code of rules has 
done much to advance the game by establishing 
uniformity of rule, of refereeing, and of type of 



HISTORY OF BASKET BALL 7 

play throughout the country. The Joint Rules 
Committee has annually discussed, amended, 
and improved the rules in accord with sugges- 
tions submitted to it, until the present quite sat- 
isfactory set as presented in the official guide 
has resulted. It is decidedly to the best inter- 
ests of the game that the official code be fol- 
lowed in its entirety, and to the exclusion of all 
variations. 

Championship Divisions — There is no Na- 
tional Championship in basket ball covering all 
classes of players, and including Collegiate, Y. 
M. C. A., and A. A. U. teams, despite the fre- 
quent claims of various organizations to Na- 
tional Championship honors. The Amateur 
Athletic Union annually conducts sectional 
championships in various parts of the United 
States, and also a National Championship tour- 
nament for all teams enrolled or affiliated with 
it. The Y. M. C. A. does not endeavor to de- 
termine its championship team. Many of the 
colleges of the country are members of so 
called conferences, or associations, which de- 
termine the championships in their respective 
leagues, of these the Big Ten, or Western Con- 
ference, composed of ten large Middle West 
Universities, the Eastern Association of six, 



BASKET BALL 






tlio Missouri Valley Coiiferenoe of eight 
versities, the Paeiiie Coast of six and the jN'orth-- 
west of seven members, are the greatest in in- 
fluence and in number of students represented. 
There is a tendency for tlie champions of these 
college leagues to play post-seasonal intersec- 
tional series, and the practice is helpful and 
stimulating to the game, and to athletics gen- 
erally. 

Type of Play — Basket ball of late years has 
become an exceedingly fast, scientific and 
highly organized game. AYhile the type of game 
differs considerably in different sections of the 
country, two chief systems may be distin- 
guished — the one calling for a series of short, 
fast passes in the attack, terminating linally in 
an attempt at goal from directly under or close 
to the basket, and the other style encouraging 
the use of long passes to bring the the ball to a 
scoring position. Quite frequently the long- 
pass style requires that at least one man be 
kept constantly near the basket. A combination 
of the two styles is more often adopted than is 
the use of either one alone. 

The styles of defense include the more re- 
cent ^' five-man-' defense in which each player 
actively guards an opponent when his team 



HISTORY OF BASKET BALL 9 

loses possession of the ball, and the older 
method of keeping at least one and sometimes 
two men constantly on offense, and the placing 
the burden of defense on the balance of the 
team. 



CHAPTER II 

EQUIPMENT OF THE PLAYER 

Not a great deal need be said concerning 
equipment; for the advisability of using a neat, 
well made costnme of pleasing appearance, 
good serviceability and of protective value, is 
apparent. 

Shoes — The emphasis should be placed on 
the footwear. An adequate supply of good 
shoes, socks, and stockings should be provided. 
Sound feet are especially important in basket 
ball, and the character of the game, Avith its 
sudden jumping, starting and stopping on hard 
floor surfaces, entails great strain on the whole 
foot structure. The more need therefore that 
the feet be well cared for and well shod. Arch 
and other foot weaknesses, ''stone bruises,'' 
callouses, blisters of various kinds, and the 
like, are prone to develop and may incapacitate 
the players except mth best of care. 

In equipping college men or players of simi- 
lar weight, it is well to supply the men with two 
pairs of shoes apiece. One pair, to be used for 

10 



EQUIPMENT OF THE PLAYER 11 

all practices, should be of heavy cushion rubber 
soles. These give the maximum of protection 
to the feet, lessen the shock to the ankle, knee, 
and hip joints, and are best for heavy men. 
Cork insoles may be added for further protec- 
tion. The other pair should be similar in make- 
up, but of lighter weight and construction, and 
should be used for play in the regularly sched- 
uled games only. Two sets of shoes for the 
team is not an extravagance if they are used 
for their specific purpose only. The light shoes 
will last out the games of a season, and will 
always be in such good condition as to insure 
against slipping in play or against breaking in 
a game, as frequently occurs when a well worn 
practice shoe is used. Furthermore, the change 
to a lighter shoe for match contests gives a feel- 
ing of added strength and spring to the men 
that is of value. Ball players profit similarly 
by the swinging of two bats for a moment be- 
fore stepping to the plate. The heavy cushion 
soled shoe is not so essential for the play of 
boys of high school age or younger. These 
lighter players usually prefer, and can stand, 
the hard treaded rubber soled shoes. There 
has been a variety of very satisfactory shoes 
of this type placed on the market of late. Cork 
insoles inserted into the shoes that are becom- 



12 BASKET BALL 

ing too loose will add to the comfort of the 
player. They mil also aid in preventing chaf- 
ing, callouses, blisters, and the burning sensa- 
tion that some complain of when wearing rub- 
ber soled shoes at the beginning of the season. 
The use of the soft rubber heel cushion, sold 
by shoe stores, or of a piece of porous sheet 
rubber, or of a piece of a red rubber bath 
sponge placed in the heel of the shoe, affords 
valuable protection against bruised heel, a com- 
mon and very painful minor injury. These 
pads are also useful in cases of blistered heel 
where the aim is to raise and fix the heel in the 
shoe. 

Laces — Good new linen laces give better sat- 
isfaction than the buckskin ones usually sold 
with the shoes ; the latter are prone to become 
loose. 

Stockings — The heavy, hard worsted, foot- 
less stocking is best and most economical in the 
long run, though costly at first. One pair 
should last a player an entire season with rea- 
sonable care. Beneath these wear cheap un- 
colored cotton socks or those of mixed cotton 
and wool materials or, better by far, use the 
short, all wool athletic socks now available. 
These should be laundered frequently. Fail- 



EQUIPMENT OF THE PLAYER 13 

ure in this precaution is responsible in part for 
the infected blood or water blisters that so com- 
monly aifect and frequently incapacitate play- 
ers on improperly supervised teams. Collect 
and launder the socks frequently. If wool 
socks are used let the men rinse them out in 
cold water while at their showers every second 
or third day. Keep them clean. Watch for 
holes in the socks and stockings. Never let a 
man play with a broken sock, for the much 
feared blisters are then a certainty. 

Ankle Braces — Some coaches do not permit 
the use of any ankle support whatever, except 
to men with definitely sprained or weakened 
ankles. I prefer to make the wearing of ankle 
braces optional with the men, but require the 
routine use of a piece of unbleached muslin 
about two inches mde and three feet long 
wrapped in a figure eight around the instep and 
then around the ankle, much as track men apply 
them. This is a cheap little bandage that gives 
both arch and ankle valuable support, tight or 
loose, as the individual feels the need, and 
affords protection to the arch of the foot, and 
to the ankle as well. These protectors should 
be worn in all practices. But when the ankles 
have been definitely sprained or weakened, then 
they should be strapped with adhesive as will 



14 BASKET BALL 

be described later. In individual cases, laced 
leather braces are valuable. However, the 
elastic ankle bandage is the most commonly pre- 
ferred, and the most satisfactory one for stock 
or routine purposes. Surgeon's adhesive tape 
splints are the most valuable supports for badly 
weakened ankles, but taping takes lots of time, 
quite a bit of skill in application, and is ex- 
pensive. 

Knee Braces^^ext to the care of the feet 
and ankles, the knees are of most importance, 
and should be well protected. Serious injury 
to the joint may be incurred from falls on the 
hard floor. Infections, often serious and in- 
capacitating, frequently follow ^* floor burns,'' 
bruises and abrasions, resulting from falls. 
The commonly used elastic knee bandage or 
support, does not aiford sufficient protection. 
It is mainly useful as a support to the joint and 
as a garter. The best knee protector is the 
padded canvas guard with circular bands of 
elastic above and below the knee. Eegardless 
of variety, the chief point aimed at, protection, 
should be secured. The type I have last recom- 
mended has given my men the greatest satis- 
faction. 

Supporters — The all elastic bike jockey 
strap is the best stock strap. As with socks, 



EQUIPMENT OF THE PLAYER 15 

tliese should be washed frequently, and it is 
well to have them innnersed in a five per-cent 
solution of carbolic acid after each practice, 
and wrung out before being hung up for the 
night. This will absolutely prevent the so- 
called ^'Gym itch'' or reddened, itching, chafed 
areas in the folds of the skin at the groin. 

^^Gym itch'' is due to a fungus which lives 
and thrives in the skin, and is readily trans- 
mitted from one person to another by infected 
towels or clothes. The carbolic acid readily 
kills the parasite in the clothes and it is also a 
good deodorant, reducing the body odors of the 
dressing room markedly. Do not understand 
that this solution will prevent chafing. True 
chafe mil still continue to occur until the skin 
surfaces are hardened to the work but is soon 
recovered from with the use of a bland salve, 
such as zinc oxide, or boric acid, ointment, or 
plain vaseline, followed by talcum powder. It 
is often advisable to wear patches of woolly 
sheep skin under the supporter, and in contact 
with the chafed areas until these have healed. 

Suits — The style of shirt or pants worn is 
relatively unimportant. Shirts should be of 
vivid color so as to contrast with the dark ap- 
parel of the spectators. 



CHAPTER III 

TRAINING, CONDITIONING, AND THE 
CARE OF INJURIES 

The term framing embraces all the exercises 
engaged in to produce individual skill and tech- 
nical ability, and the development of team play. 
Conditioning means the upbuilding and de- 
veloping of the body to a high degree of physi- 
cal efficiency, by means of exercise, the appli- 
cation of sane rules of living, and by the use 
of helpful measures in the care and treatment 
of injuries and physical weaknesses. The 
training and conditioning of the team are the 
most important factors in the success of the 
season, more so even than the quality of the 
material. They are best discussed simultan- 
eously, and are so here. The care and treat- 
ment of injuries will be treated separately. 
Methods differ materially, even successful 
ones ; however, one can usually pick the old and 
seasoned coaches from the young inexperienced 
ones, and the successful from the unsuccessful, 

16: 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 17 

by a few minutes' observation of their routine 
work. 

Overwork — In general most of tbe inex- 
perienced coaches and practically all of the un- 
successful ones, train or exercise their men too 
much, too long, and too hard. When the men 
have gained good physical condition and rea- 
sonable skill for the practice experienced, and 
are in the midst or towards the close of their 
schedule, long, fast, and gruelling practice 
should be abandoned. It is difficult for the in- 
experienced coach to recognize when to ease 
up, when to cut the practice in half, or less, or 
even when not to practice at all; and especially 
when not to scrimmage. More teams are over- 
trained than are undertrained. Also, teams 
that are out played towards the close of a 
game, after leading at first, are apt to be over- 
trained, as also are those that lose frequently 
towards the close of the season after a suc- 
cessful start. 

Training Exercises — Basketball is so very 
vigorous, and requires such a characteristic 
quick, sudden start and stop, that any effort 
to train the men by means additional to the 
practice of basketball, such as running on the 
track, calesthenics or setting up exercises, etc., 



18 BASKET BALL 

is useless and detrimental. This wastes time 
and energy that should be spent with the ball. 
All and often more exercise than is needed can 
be obtained in the practice of the rudiments of 
the game, and in the team scrimmages. In my 
own early days of play we often preceded the 
night's practice by calesthenic work and ended 
it by a long run, sometimes out of doors, to 
develop endurance, not realizing that the step 
and stride of the runner and of the basketball 
player are radically different, as well as are 
most of the muscular coordinations involved in 
the two activities. Our calisthenics and wind 
up run should have been omitted during the 
season, tho valuable at other times. Running 
is often useful for men who have been so in- 
jured that actual practice is inadvisable, but 
who must exercise to maintain condition and 
weight. Once three of my regulars on a uni- 
versity team were quarantined because of the 
presence of a scarlet fever case in their board- 
ing house. They returned to the team at the 
close of the quarantine on the day of an im- 
portant game and played throughout at top 
speed, having maintained good condition dur- 
ing the lay off by means of slow, graded, cross 
country runs late at night. In general, how- 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 19 

ever, exercises should be confined to the prac- 
tice of basketball. 

Early Practice— At the beginning of the 
season the candidates for the team will report 
in varying physical condition. Some will be 
overweight, some soft and easily winded, and 
again there will always be some who, through 
over conscientiousness and desire to make 
good, already have gone beyond mid-season 
weight and condition and are under weight 
and run down. All these candidates are en- 
thusiastic and anxious to make the team and 
the practice starts off with a burst of speed and 
energy. It is here that many are practically 
put out of the running, or, at best, badly handi- 
capped for weeks or all season, by the results 
of unrestrained work in the first few practices. 
Never permit unsupervised practice or allow 
the men to work except under direction. Check 
them, restrain them, keep them all moving all 
the time— but with moderation as to the char- 
acter of the work and the length of it. Cease 
practice before they are tired and send down 
early and in advance of the main squad any 
individuals who may show signs of distress. 
Watch the men for signs of marked fatigue; 
make the practice short and peppy; engage 



20 



BASKET BALL 

(//!// t/S^^/ry or h/ISCON^IAf 

6/iSHer {BALL IV t- /G/^T ^H£-£T, *2I'^Z 2. 
VJEIOH DfiiiLY, BBFOFie^ & AFTER WorK 



1 



A^APfS' 


p/tre 


ovr 


DATS- 
//V 


ot/r 


DfiTB 


o<yr- 


/Af 


i&JLOAl^Ou^ 


yU 


/6o 


/^^ 


/£/ 


/(,2 


/^O 




Tou^^J^<^ 


y6^ 


/6/ 


/^3 


/6z 


/A| 


/i^Z 




^^uC-^ijan^^ 
















TuMUJ^ 
















(^//.^O^U^a.'wiV 
















:Sl^(x^^jl^ 
















5...^ 
















J/,rv^ju<lJ 
















^^..^z/ 

















DIAGRAM 1 
Portion of Weight Sheet— Size of Blank 17x24. 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 21 

entirely in the fundamentals of the game for at 
least two and preferably four weeks. Eegard- 
less of the early physical condition of the candi- 
dates or of the positions for which they are try- 
ing out, give the same preliminary work to all. 
This, while moderate, will be difficult enough 
for the overweight lads, to whom even light 
work will be trying and will reduce them, will 
harden the soft ones, and will increase the 
weight and strength, and improve the condition 
of the thin, over worked fellows, by normally 
stimulating their appetites and digestive pow- 
ers, and inducing restful sleep. The man al- 
ready in fair condition does not need more than 
the moderate practice given the others, and it 
will leave him with worlds of energy and good 
nature — ^good things to have on the squad. 

Weight Sheet — A record of the weights of 
all players throughout the season, taken before 
and after practice, is of great value to the coach. 
The men should weigh stripped. A record 
sheet with the names of the men alphabetically 
arranged on the left and with ruled columns 
for the weights for each practice at the right 
of the names, should be posted in the dressing 
room close to the scales. Insist on exactness 
as to the taking and recording of the weights. 
Comparison of the weights lost through differ- 



22 BASKET BALL 

ent kinds and lengths of practice will afford 
the coach valuable knowledge as to the severity^ 
of his various training exercises, and as to the 
amount to require. In general one can also de- 
termine the fellows who are easing up in their 
work, or who are overdoing, by the compara- 
tive loss of weight in each individual case. 
Once the men are in fair condition there should 
he no further reduction in iv eight as the season 
progresses^ and the loss of weight through a 
practice should be regained the foUomng day. 
These are fundamental considerations in con- 
ditioning teams, and should be observed strictly. 
Especially among high school and young 
boys' teams one sees very many cases of play- 
ers who have lost from eight to fifteen pounds 
during a season. In one high school tourna- 
ment I attended, all but three of the players 
had lost over five pounds each and some up to 
seventeen pounds. Most of the boys had the 
white, thin, drawn look that signifies over 
work. It is the exception to see ruddy, plump- 
cheeked boys towards the close of the playing 
season whereas it should be the rule. It can 
not be over emphasized that continued loss of 
weight during the playing season is a positive 
indication for a cessation or a decided let up in 
the amount of work required. 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 23 

After a few practices, depending upon the 
number of candidates out, and the amount of 
time available for training, the squad should 
be cut to a good working number, usually about 
fifteen men. Those dropped should be encour- 
aged to join secondary teams so as to secure 
further practice and development in prepara- 
tion for further tryout. I have twice had men 
make the varsity squad for the first time in 
their senior year after failing in previous sea- 
sons, and then become regulars on the team. 
Such boys develop and mature slowly, and lack 
sufficient strength and stamina until an addi- 
tional year or two of age has come to them. 
Therefore, have a second squad, or a similar 
group, to which such men can be assigned. 
Keep first class men only on the first team, for 
the fewer they are the more individual instruc- 
tion can be given them. This is the most pro- 
ductive of results. When the squad has been cut 
to good working proportions, the boys should be 
called together for instructions and the rules 
for the season announced. The general policy 
and aims of the coach should be stated at this 
time, and what he will require of the players 
and why. 

Diet — As to diet, it is unnecessary to impose 
restrictions on those living under home condi- 



24 BASKET BALL 

tions. The ordinary every day diet to which 
these players are well accustomed is usnally 
the very best that can be secured for them. 
Advise moderation at the meal preceding the 
regular practice, and heartier eating at the 
other meals. Let the appetite guide as to what 
to eat excepting that highly spiced and strong 
tasting foods should not be eaten at the meal 
preceding practice, and not at all on the day of 
a game. What is eaten at meals prior to the 
one before practice is of little consequence pro- 
viding it is good wholesome food. A good deal 
of unscientific hodge-podge still clings to the 
athletic dietary, and many coaches still deprive 
their players of butter, sugar, desserts, ice 
cream, milk, certain vegetables and many other 
articles, that have absolutely no detrimental 
eifects, and have, on the contrary, decidedly 
beneficial ones, if eaten in ordinary modera- 
tion. 

The diet for the day of a game needs careful 
selection and should be chosen to include good, 
plain, easily digested f odd, not fatty nor highly 
flavored or seasoned, nor strong tasting, and 
should be of moderate amount. The meal be- 
fore the game, usually the evening meal, is the 
important one. It should be eaten two hours 
before play, and should consist of but two 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 25 

slices of toast with butter, one or two boiled or 
poached eggs, and one cnp of weak tea. It is 
useless to permit a heavier meal to be eaten 
just prior to play, if for no other reason than 
that it takes several hours for food to digest 
and that until digested it benefits no one. Fur- 
ther, a full stomach interferes with respiration, 
and is a marked handicap during play. It is 
well for the coach to have some idea of the 
time required for certain meals to digest, for 
on trips, due to train delays and other causes, 
there will come times when the customary diet, 
or the preferred time of meals, can not be ad- 
hered to. It may happen that the pre-game 
meal can not be secured until but a short time 
before play. In such case it is well to dispense 
with it entirely rather than have the men play 
shortly after eating. 

No harm follows eating between meals, or at 
night following practice. Young men in vigor- 
ous athletics can readily digest and assimilate 
food at such times, and when the appetite de- 
mands it. It restores the energy and weight 
lost through practice and is beneficial rather 
than otherwise. Water may be taken as de- 
sired, at or between meals, on all but game days, 
and on practice days within two hours of ex- 
ercise. Water with meals does not hinder di- 



26 BASKET BALL 

gestion, as commonly supposed. Coffee with 
breakfast may be permdtted to those accus- 
tomed to its use. It is better to avoid it at 
later meals. 

Sleep — The body recuperates from the wear- 
ing effects of severe exercise chiefly during 
sleep — therefore, emphasis should be placed on 
the necessity of players securing not less than 
eight hours sleep every night and more if pos- 
sible. Social activities should be given up dur- 
ing the playing season. Prohibit the use of 
tobacco and liquor. 

Stateness — From mid season to its close play- 
ers engaged in a long schedule will be increas- 
ingly in danger of that loss of condition termed 
staleness. This is manifested by a slump in ac- 
curacy of shot ; by lack of former power to fin- 
ish the game at top speed; by indolence and 
lack of enthusiasm in practice ; and frequently 
by an irritability of temper quite foreign to the 
player's normal disposition. Coincident with 
these conditions the weight sheet almost always 
will show a decided loss, and that the weight 
lost in one practice will not be entirely regained 
by the next. Gradual loss of weight after the 
player has once reached form and condition is 
a cardinal indication of danger. Staleness may 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 27 

come on abruptly in mid and late season, even 
in men who are in apparently satisfactory con- 
dition and weight, if practice is pushed too 
strenuously for two or three days, especially 
scrimmage. 

That emotional stress has great influence in 
the production of staleness is shown by the ease 
with which men go stale on teams having a par- 
ticularly trying schedule. Teams that have been 
ever victorious in a number of games, having 
played so that victory in every game has be- 
come of especial importance to them, frequently 
have an abrupt break in condition. Examina- 
tions coming on in mid-season are also fre- 
quently a cause of staleness because of the 
mental stress and anxiety they impose on the 
men, and because of the large expenditure of 
nervous energy in preparation for them. Great 
care and judgment is necessary therefore in the 
training of the men at examination time, and 
the physical work should be cut to a minimum, 
or better, entirely discontinued. My Wisconsin 
teams had their examinations in mid-season, 
and my Missouri ones just before the season 
began. The slump in condition of the Wiscon- 
sin men at examination time was very notice- 
able. 

The cause of staleness should be appreciated 



28 BASKET BALL 

by those conditioning athletes. In ahnost all 
cases, it is due to the temporary over work or 
fatigue of certain nerve centers located in the 
brain and spinal cord, which are the centers 
for the control and coordination of muscular 
movements. There are other factors involved, 
but, avoiding unnecessary discussions in phys- 
iology, it is safe to say that the above concep- 
tion of the cause of staleness is sufficient, and 
is helpful in enabling one to forestall it, or to 
relieve it. 

The nerve cells of the brain and cord are ab- 
solutely protected by the skull and spinal col- 
umn from any material effect on them thru the 
kneadings, ^'manipulations'' and '^ adjust- 
ments'' of trainers, and others who seek to ad- 
just the spine or to manipulate the nerves for 
the treatment of '^ staleness." It is not due to 
any condition of the muscles, or of the nerves 
themselves, or of any other organ or part that 
can be massaged or manipulated in a beneficial 
manner. 

The treatment of staleness is summed up in 
the word. Rest. Massage of the muscles will 
aid somewhat in eliminating waste from them; 
plenty of drinking water also aids elimination ; 
a change of diet so as to increase the sugars, 
fats, and rich foods eaten, is valuable ; but total 



TRAINING — CONDITIONING 29 

absence from the gymnasmm for a few days 
and^ ten hours sleep per night, is the master 
builder that restores the depleted energy, and 
so obtains the cure. 

Medical Examination — In my judgment all 
men should be medically examined and passed 
before being admitted to training. 



CHAPTER IV 

CARE OF MINOR INJURIES 

Blisters should be washed thoroughly and 
then opened at the edge with a clean needle, the 
point of which has been first passed through 
the flame of a match. Keep them emptied of 
fluid, clean, covered with a layer of gauze, and 
taped to the foot for a few days. When dry 
and white, after several days, gradually begin 
the removal of the old dead skin. 

Heel bruise is best treated by baking in a 
hot air oven, or failing that, by soaking it fre- 
quently in very hot water. Then tape the heel 
in two directions, tightly, and fasten a rubber 
bath sponge in the heel of the shoe. 

Calloused shin areas should be soaked in hot 
water and frequently scraped with a blunt 
knife. The hands of bar performers are cared 
for in this way. If the skin has been allowed 
to thicken into too large and painful areas for 
this measure to suffice, apply an ointment at 
night, containing twenty grains of salicylic 
acid to the ounce and bandage. This will soft- 

30 



CARE OF MINOR INJURIES 31 

en the dead skin so that it may be removed. 
Collodion containing the same amount of 
salicylic acid per ounce, painted over the cal- 
lous and left for a few days will produce the 
same result. Sometimes foot callouses are 
very difficult to cure. 

Floor hums on the knees and elbows should 
first be washed thoroughly with soap and water 
when the shower is taken. This is an import- 
ant and often neglected preliminary. Floor 
burns are always dirty and infected and the 
chief need is to clean them. After washing 
apply some soothing antiseptic such as a 2% 
per cent solution of carbolic acid. If the sur- 
face of the abrasion is large do not apply tinc- 
ture of iodine for it is too painful and is not 
without danger in itself. Finally, cover over 
with boric acid ointment or, better, with zinc 
oxide ointment and bandage. Wash thor- 
oughly and redress daily, and be very sure that 
pus does not collect beneath an apparently dry 
scab. Infected abrasions and blisters cause 
the loss of more players than all the other in- 
juries combined. Do not attempt to dry up 
floor burns by dusting with an antiseptic pow- 
der — the scabs formed retain and conceal the 
pus. 



32 BASKET BALL 

Sprains — Soak a newly sprained ankle in a 
bncket of water as hot as can be borne and 
massage it gently and with increasing pres- 
sure, np towards the knee, for a long period. 
Continue the rubbing until the swelling and the 
pain has been reduced to a minimum. This 
treatment energetically carried out for twenty- 
five minutes immediately following the injury 
will insure considerable reduction of the swell- 
ing and will improve the circulation in the in- 
jured ankle. This favors the repair of the 
torn tissues, for a sprain is always a more or 
less severe tear. When the ankle has been re- 
duced to about normal size apply the adhesive 
tape bandage, as described below. Use care in 
applying the strips that run vertically as the 
tendency is to pull them too tight. Do not per- 
mit the strips that pass around the side of the 
foot to overlap in front. The ankle may againi 
swell somewhat after the massage and heating 
has ceased and while the bandage is on, so that 
if the tape is tight to begin with a dangerous 
interference with the circulation of the part \ 
may result. On the following day remove the 
tape and reapply hot water and massage ; this 
will usually reduce the swelling so that a good, 
firm, tape bandage can be applied and left on 
for three days. Over the tape bandage wear a 



CARE OF MINOR INJURIES 33 

liigh laced shoe and use the ankle carefully in 
walking. Use a cane if the discomfort is marked, 
or if the walks are ice covered, to insure against 
turning the joint. Better results are obtained 
by this heat, massage, tape bandage treatment, 
with the ankle in moderate guarded use, than 
can be obtained by rest in bed or the use of a 
cast, always provided that the injury is noth- 
ing but a sprain. I have several times seen 
ankles that were being treated for sprain which 
X-Eay revealed to be fracture of the lower end 
of the small and outer bone of the leg. 

If the injury is a particularly severe and 
painful one do not apply the tape bandage on 
the first day, but follow the initial heating and 
massage by elevating the leg while in bed and 
by the application of a thick padding of cotton 
soaked in lead water and laudanum, covered 
with oiled paper to prevent evaporation. It 
will reduce pain and discomfort. Bandage this 
loosely and thickly with gauze and rest the 
part in bed until the following day. Then re- 
new the heating and massaging frequently un- 
til the swelling sufficiently subsides to permit 
of taping as before described. The same gen- 
eral principles apply to the treatment of all 
sprains. 



BASKET BALL 




DIAGRAM 2 
Gibney Tape Bandage. 



CARE OF MINOR INJURIES 35 

The Basket Bandage for Sprained Ankles 

Cut four strips of adhesive tape one inch 
wide and 14 inches long, and 7 strips one inch 
wide and ten to twelve inches long. Stick them 
by one end to the back of a chair or edge of a 
table. Seat yourself and patient, with his leg 
across your left knee. Keep the foot at right 
angles to the leg, as it would be in standing, 
and everted slightly if the sprain is on the 
outer side, or inverted if sprained on the inner 
side of the ankle, so as to relax the sprained 
ligaments. 

Apply the first strip vertically. Begin about 
eight inches above the inner malleolus or ankle 
bone and back far enough to cover the side of 
the tendo Achilles or heel cord, then under the 
heel and up the other side, (strip No. 1). The 
second strip goes horizontally, from the outer 
border of the foot near the little toe, around 
the heel and along the inner border of the foot 
to within an inch of the big toe, (strip No. 2). 

Now another strip vertically, and overlap- 
ping the first strip about one half, (strip 3), 
and then another horizontal strip higher up 
than strip number two and overlapping it about 
one half, (strip 4), and so on until the ankle is 
covered by alternating vertical and horizontal 



3G BASKET BALL 

strips, except a free space of about half an iiicli 
down the front of the leg and foot, which should 
be left open to permit of free circulation, for 
important vessels are present there. Never 
wrap the leg and foot circularly with adhesive 
tape in case of sprain with swelling. 

.Ruh;s — In the early season daily rubs at close 
oi* practice are of value in relieving sore- 
ness. As the men become hardened to the ex- 
ercise they are unnecessary and should no 
longer be given except to men injured. Now 
that alcohol is so expensive, witch hazel, con- 
taining about fourteen per cent of alcohol, is 
generally used for rubbing. Add 5% of oil of 
wintergreen to this for its warming, stimulat- 
ing effect. Cocoa butter is useful as a rub and 
is cheap. After all it is the friction and not 
the preparation that counts. Very few of my 
men are ever rubbed, except for definite indica- 
tion, as for injury. 

Foot Wasli — For hardening delicate skin, 
when blisters or chafing is feared, immerse the 
feet for three minutes, after bathing, in a bucke^^. 
of water in which a handful of tannic acid liasi 
been dissolved. \ 

Boils — Skin infections, boils, pimples, etc., i 
are apt to be especially prevalent during the! 



t 



CARE OF MINOR INJURIES 37 

first weeks of practice. To avoid them, have 
the men maintain good bowel action, by drink- 
ing lots of water and by care as to diet, and if 
need be by the use of a mild cathartic such as 
cascara sagrada, or citrate of magnesia. Use 
plenty of soap on the skin when bathing, and 
give especial attention to the skin folds. See 
that the clothing is washed frequently and kept 
clean. 

Baths — Three minutes is long enough to re- 
main in the hot shov/er; longer use is enervat- 
ing. Use moderately warm water at first for 
cleansing purposes, and then taper it off to cool 
water. The custom of changing abruptly from 
hot to very cold has no especial beneiit, and is 
not advisable for all men. The real cold 
shower should be used only by those who thor- 
oughly enjoy it and Y\^hen a good warm reaction 
glow succeeds it immediately. If one remains 
chilled for some time following the cold bath 
give it up. The cold bath is by no means well 
borne by all. 

Colds — A man should not be permitted to 
practice when afflicted with a severe cold. At 
such a time his heart is subject to overstrain 
by work that ordinarily would not affect it, 
and the danger of marked loss of weight and 



38 BASKET BALL 

of staleness coming on at the time is great. 
Furthermore, his presence on the squad is apt 
to spread the infection and cause the loss or 
weakening of other players. A player may be 
permitted to exercise reasonably in the early 
hours of a moderate cold. If the bowels are 
kept well open, and care is taken not to expose 
the body unnecessarily after bathing, the exer- 
cise often results satisfactorily, but it is a prac- 
tice not without danger. Stop the exercise if 
the cold remains or gets worse rather than bet- 
ter after two days, and secure rest and treat- 
ment for the condition. 

For Heartburn, Acid Stomach, Gas — Give 
20 drops of aromatic spirits of ammonia, in 
half glass of water. You may repeat in 20 
minutes. 

Sore Shins and Knotted Muscles of Calf or 
Thighs — Mix one tablespoonful each of oil of 
wintergreen and olive oil and then rub into sore 
area. Bandage heavily over the rubbed area 
and keep bandage on all night. This fre- 
quently relieves all soreness and stiffness. Fol- 
low by heat and massage. 



CHAPTER V 
THE EULES 

Changes in Basket Ball Rules eor 1922-23 

The Joint Committee on Basket Ball Rules 
adopted a number of changes and amendments 
to the rules of the game, for the coming season, 
at its last annual meeting, and also altered the 
marking of the court by the addition of two 
lines and the creation of two new zones or 
areas. 

This chapter deals with and explains the 
changes made in the court and in playing rules 
only, and is in no way a substitute for the 
Official Rules. 

New Marking — The rules in marking the 
court require that a line be drawn seventeen 
feet out from and parallel to each end line. In 
other words, the free throw line at each end is 
extended to touch the side lines. 

The areas at each end of the court bounded 
by the end line, the new line parallel to the end 
line, and the side lines, constitute an end zone, 

39 



40 



BASKET BALL 




DIAGRAM 3 
Basket Ball Court, Revised Rules 1922-23. 



THE RULES 41 

or penalty area, within which certain fouls have 
decidedly different penalties than formerly, 
some of which are more severe and some less 
so, depending upon their character, personal or 
technical, and upon whether the team on attack 
or on defense is the offender. 

Personal Fouls — 1. All personal fouls com- 
mitted by a team, when its opponents are in 
possession of the ball in the penalty area in 
front of their own goal, will be penalized by the 
award of Two Free Throws. (Own goal means 
the one at which they are shooting.) 

2. All personal fouls committed elsewhere 
on the court than in the penalty area, and by 
either the offensive or the defensive team, are 
penalized by one free throw as formerly. 

3. Personal fouls within the penalty area, 
when the ball is in the possession of the defend- 
ing team, shall be penalized by the award of one 
free throw. 

In other words, the old personal foul penalty 
of one shot holds everywhere and in all cases 
except where the defending team fouls the at- 
tacking team, when the latter has the ball within 
the zone in front of its own basket. 

The intent of the new rule is to compensate 
the attacking team more adequately for being 
deprived of a shot by the foul of an opponent. 



42 BASKET BALL 

after having worked the ball up Avithin 17 feet 
of goal — a good scoring distance. Guards have 
frequently fouled deliberately, at the cost of one 
free throw, rather than permit a fairly close 
shot to be made. They are less apt to do so 
under the new ruling. 

Technical fouls made in the end zones by 
either team are penalized as in the remainder 
of the court and are discussed later. 

The Penalty Area is new to Basket Ball, 
though not to other games. In both hockey 
and soccer the principle has been applied suc- 
cessfully. 

Technical Fouls — The one free throw penalty 
holds as formerly for all the fouls commonly 
known as technical except those named below, 
for which a new variety of penalty has been 
created. 

Technical Fouls for which the Penalty is the 
Loss of the Ball to the Opponents out of Bounds 
and on the Side Lines — In the case of a vari- 
ety of fouls formerly known as technical, and 
including (1) running with the ball; (2) ad- 
vancing; (3) striking ball with fists ; (4) unin- 
tentionally kicking ball; (5) violating the jump- 
ing rules; (6) passing ball instead of making 
a free trial for goal, and (7) the double or sec- 



THE RULES 43 

ond dribble, all of which formerly were penal- 
ized by a free throw, the award has been 
changed to give the offended team possession 
of the ball, out of bounds at the side, and at a 
spot directly at right angles to and nearest the 
point where the foul was committed. The ball 
is then to be thrown in as in all other out-of- 
bound plays. Under this rule, the ball goes out 
of bounds on the side line and never on the end 
line. 

This rule and the establishment of the end 
zone with its special penalties, constitute the 
radical changes in this season's rules and the 
greatest improvements in recent years. 

A personal foul, involving as it does personal 
contact and the possibility of injury to the 
fouled player (usually the man in possession of 
the ball), should be penalized severely, as by 
free throw. A technical foul, however, because 
it does not involve personal contact and possi- 
bility of injury to an opponent, is sufficiently 
compensated for by the loss of the ball. 

The differentiation of the kind of penalty for 
the two radically different types of foul is log- 
ical and constitutes a step forward in the rules. 

It should be carefully noted that the ball goes 
to the opponents out of bounds and on the side 
line, and in no case on the end line. 



44 BASKET BALL 

The elimination of the free throw as a pen- 
alty for a technical foul will reduce the number 
of free throws about twenty-five per cent, and 
will make the play of the game correspond- 
ingly more continuous and, therefore, more in- 
teresting. The great importance of the free 
shooter is also lessened somewhat by the reduc- 
tion in the amount of free shooting, — a very 
desirable point in a game which should be pre- 
dominantly a team affair. 

Technical Fouls with Free Throiv Penal- 
ties — The following, formerly called ^ technical 
fouls ■ ', draw one free throw penalty as before : 
(1) Touching the ball after it has been awarded 
to an opponent out of bounds; (2) leaving the 
court without permission; (3) taking time out 
after three times out; (4) unsportsmanlike con- 
duct; (5) interfering with the player who has 
the ball out of bounds or touching the ball when 
it is held out of bounds; (6) going on court as 
a substitute before reporting to scorer and to 
referee; (7) talking to officials. 

Time Out Changes — Time out can be re- 
quested by the captain when his team is in pos- 
session of the ball, or when the ball is dead, 
except when the opponents have the ball out 
of bounds. 



THE RULES 45 

That portion of the rule concerning the ball 
out of bounds prevents the team on defense 
from forestalling a rapidly executed attack 
from out-of-bounds, following, for instance, a 
technical foul, by calling for *Hime ouV\ in 
which to cover up. 

Further, the time-out rule has been changed 
so that when a substitution for injury con- 
sumes more than two minutes (formerly it was 
one), a time out shall be charged. 

Substitutes May Not Talk — Concerning sub- 
stitutes, a new rule prohibits the incoming man 
from communicating with his team before play 
again starts, except through the official. This 
rule was patterned after the foot ball rule some- 
what, and is intended to restrict the activity 
of the coach in the direction of the team through 
the introduction of substitutes carrying infor- 
mation. 

The DrihUe — Because of the different inter- 
pretations given to the dribble rule in different 
sections of the country, the rule concerning the 
footwork of the dribble again has been mod- 
ified, so that now a man may step in any direc- 
tion with one foot, while holding the ball, but 
must bounce or get rid of the ball '^as the sta- 
tionary or pivot foot leaves the floor. He may 



46 ^ BASKET BALL 

step once with the first foot, but must bounce 
the ball as the second foot leaves the floor.'' 

Interpretation of ''Three Men In'' Rule — 
"While not a new rule in any sense, the Com- 
mittee discussed the *' three men in" rule and 
reiterated the interpretation that no foul is 
committed unless the third man charges in and 
makes personal contact with an opponentj in 
which case a personal foul is called. It is not 
a foul to make contact with one's own team- 
mate nor to handle the ball. The administra- 
tion of this rule differs radically in the terri- 
tory of the Missouri Valley and of the Western 
Conferences, respectively. 

Reference hy Number to Rules and Sections 
Changed 

Eule 5, Section 1: Team shall consist of 5 
players at the beginning of a game. Team 
can play with less than five after game be- 
gins if they have no substitutes. Team 
must start mth 5 men. 

Rule 5, Section 2 : fifth line — omit word ** sub- 
stitute." 

Rule 6, Section 10 : Referee shall instruct um- 
pire to blow whistle on out of bounds that 
referee does not see. First half of rule 



THE RULES 47 

remains the same. It is now compulsory 
for umpire to blow whistle on out of bounds 
plays. 

Eule 7, Section 7 : In making the dribble the 
ball must leave the hand as the rear foot 
leaves the floor. 

Eule 8, Section 1 : When a foul is committed 
simultaneously with or just previous to 
the sounding of the time keepers signal, 
time shall be allowed for a free throw, but 
no man just substituted shall be allowed 
to make the free throw. 

Eule 15: Fouls and penalties changed. On 
technical foul ball goes to opponents at 
side lines. The following are classed as 
technical fouls: 

Section 1 : Eunning mth ball ; kicking or strik- 
ing ball with fists. 

Section 2C: Violating the jumping rule. 

Section 4 : Passing ball instead of shooting, on 
a free throw. 

Section 5: Interfering with ball or basket 
while ball is on the edge of, or within the 
basket. 

Section 6 : Making a second dribble after hav- 
ing completed a dribble, unless the ball, 
when free, has been touched by another 
player. 



48 BASKET BALL 

For the following violations one free throw is 
granted: 

Eule 15, Section 2A: Toucliing ball after it 
has been awarded to an opponent out of 
bounds. 

Section 2B: Dela^dng game by leaving the 
court without permission. 

Section 2D: Taking time out after team has 
used its 3 times out. 

Section 2E : Any unspecified unsportsmanlike 
action. 

Section 3 : Interfering with player who is re- 
turning ball into court from out of bounds ; 
that is, no part of the guards person shall 
be outside of the court and he shall not 
touch the ball until it has crossed the Hue. 

Section 7 : Go on the court as substitute until 
he has reported to scorer, and been recog- 
nized by the referee. 

Section 8 : Talk to any official or in any way 
conduct himself in an unsportsmanlike 
manner. 

Section 9: There shall be no coaching from 
the side lines during the progress of the 
game, by any official connected with either 
team. 



THE RULES 49 

Section 10: No person shall go on the court 
during the progress of the game except 
with permission of the referee or umpire. 
Note: The request of the committee was 
that this rule be rigidly enforced. 

Section 10 : New : Illegal substitution. 

Section 10: New: In making substitution, the 
player shall have no communication with 
team mates until after the play has been 
started. This will do away with a coach 
sending in information at time-out by a 
substitute. If he wishes his team to have 
any information, his team must take out 
time for that purpose and be charged with 
a time-out. 

Rule 12, Section 2 : Was changed. When held- 
ball is called in free throw lane and circle, 
the ball shall be tossed up at the 15-foot 
line. This makes any held-ball within the 
free throw area a toss-up at free throw 
line. 

Rule 12, New: Interfering with the ball or 
basket while the ball is on the edge of the 
basket. When the ball is clearly within 
the basket, it shall count as a goal. This 
rule is to prevent a player going up from 
the bottom and hitting a ball that is about 



50 BASKET BALL 

to enter the basket. If he interferes with 
the ball or basket while it is on the edge, 
the ball goes to the opponents out of 
bounds, but if the ball is clearly within the 
basket, a goal shall be scored. 

Eule 2, Section 2B : Was changed to read one 
niinute, instead of 30 seconds. 

Rule 2, Section 2C : Was changed to read two 
minutes, instead of one minute. 

The committee voted that the questions and 
answers, as published in the back of the Eule 
Book, shall be considered as a part of the rules. 
This will make possible reference to the ques- 
tions and answers on disputed points, and if 
the point is clearly answered, the answer can 
be quoted as official. 



CHAPTER VI 
TECHNIQUE 

Handling the Ball — Skill in catching and 
passing the ball are more necessary to success 
than are almost any of the other elements in 
basket ball. Fast, accurate passing will bring 
the ball frequently to within such close distance 
that even an ordinary shooter can score. 
Therefore, the poorer a team is at shooting, the 
more time and attention should be devoted to 
improving the handling of the ball and speed- 
ing up the pass. Team skill at passing can far 
more decidedly be improved by practice than 
can team shooting and the end results, in in- 
creased scores, are more certain. Further, a 
good passing team is usually a steady, closely 
cooperating, five man affair, while the good 
shooting team is more individualistic, more in- 
clined to unexpected off nights, and is less re- 
liable. Spend much time on passing practice. 

Catching — In catching the ball, the fingers 
and thumbs should be well spread and the 

51 



52 BASKET BALL 

palms well cupped. In catching, the hands are 
usually parallel and the palms turned in 
towards each other much as in baseball. Cer- 
tain men who fumble badly may improve by 
changing the position of the hands so that 
the right is held vertically above the left and 
clamps down on the ball from above, the left 
being underneath. 

Again, to correct fumbling, drill the man on 
keeping his eye on the ball. Most fumbling 
results from the player f aihng to watch the ball 
until it strikes his hands. 

On receiving the ball the players' arms 
should give slightly at the elbows to lessen the 
shock but always in a direction and in such a 
manner as to make this receiving movement 
the initial part of the passing or shooting ac- 
tion which should immediately follow. 

PASSINGf^ 

There are a variety of ways to pass the ball, 
of which all but the overhand hook pass come 
quite naturally to most players. 

The shove, underhand, overhand, bounce and 
hook passes, are all used quite commonly, al- 
though it is being recognized that certain of 
these passes have advantages peculiar to cer- 



TECHNIQUE 53 



KEY TO ALL DIAGRAMS 



j^ Player in final position at end of play. 

H^ Player in original position at beginning of play. 

^/# Player with ball. 

J^ Guarding player. 

Player making stop, front-turn (.front pivot). 



^^^JPff Player making stop, rear-turn (reverse-turn). 

%■ Course of man, without ball. 
• • •)• Course of ball. 



^.mm ^-r~m-^ Course of man dribbling. 



54 BASKET BALL 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS, PASSING AND SHOOTING 




DIAGRAM 4 

Shove-Pass and Short Shot 

A pass to B. B shove-pass to i4. A dribble and shoot. 



TECHNIQUE 55 

tain types of play, or again, are best used in 
certain situations or areas. 

The Shove Pass (See diagrams, practice for- 
mations) — This is merely a rapid deflection of 
the course of the ball made by the receiving 
player shoving or ' ' stiff arming ' ' the ball for a 
pass, without first catching the ball. It is made 
by using both hands, should be waist or chest 
high and of moderate speed and should be so 
coached. It is particularly useful in close-in, 
fast passing work around the basket or when 
the receiver is being guarded from the rear 
and can shove pass to an approaching team- 
mate. 

A good practice formation for the shove pass 
is to line the team in single file formation fac- 
ing the basket and about 20 feet from it, with 
the leading man at the foul circle. Station 
another player 10 feet to the side of the basket 
and 5 feet from the end line, facing the men 
near the foul circle. The men in file pass the 
ball, in turn, to the man near the basket and 
then drive straight through toward the goal, 
receiving a short, quick, waist high, shove pass 
in return and in time for a short shot under 
the basket. The side man, after making the 
shove pass, follows in for the rebound. Dia- 
gram 4. 



56 BASKET BALL 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS, PASSING AND SHOOTING 




DIAGRAM 5 
Long Pass and Oblique Short Shot 
C secures rebound, passes to B. B passes to A. 



A shoots. 




PLATE A— ONE HAND, UNDERHAND PASS 




PLATE B— TWO HAND, UNDERHAND PASS 



TECHNIQUE 57 

This exercise gives practice in a long pass, 
a short shove pass, a short under basket shot 
and a follow in rebonnd shot. 

The Underhand Pass may be made with 
either one or both hands, preferably two hands. 
The ball should travel moderately fast, on a 
line, and from waist to shoulder height. A 
high pass obstructs the view of the catcher, is 
awkward to handle and consumes time to pull 
it into passing position. A pass below the belt 
is hard to handle and if fumbled is very apt to 
be struck by the knees and so knocked out of 
reach. Coach the players to ^*hit the shirf 
with the ball. 

The two hand underhand pass is made with 
the elbows bent and close to the side, and with 
the wrists bent downward and backward 
toward the body. The ball is propelled by a 
snappy simultaneous extension of the elbows 
and wrists and the finish to the pass is given 
by the fingers, which give an upward rotation 
to the ball. See plates A and B. 

A good practice formation for the under- 
hand pass is to form the men in a circle and 
have them pass first to the right, using the left 
hand, and then to the left, using the right hand, 
and then mixing up the passes to use either or 



58 BASKET BALL 

both hands. The squad should also be formed 
into two ranks, facing, and pass across from 
one rank to the other, using the right hand 
when passing to the left and vice versa. 

Last, and to gain speed and accuracy have 
the men pass at will, always underhand, and 
with every man on the squad on the move, 
weaving in and out, turning and reversing, and 
receiving and passing the ball at full speed. 

This exercise is a great conditioner and a 
few minutes of it will tire the men. 

The Bounce Pass is very useful in out of 
bounds work and in offensive play near the 
goal. The pass must be used as a variant to 
the underhand and shove passes and not as the 
predominant type of pass. The ball should 
be bounced on the floor about a foot in front 
and to the side of the guarding player, to best 
deceive the latter, and it should strike the floor 
four or five feet from the receiver. If the 
bounce pass is to be a long one of ten or twenty 
feet it should be made with a downward motion 
of the fingers, rotating the ball away from the 
passer. This adds speed and accuracy to the 
pass. 

If the pass is to be short and to a man un- 
der way, reverse the English and rotate the 



TECHNIQUE 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 



59 




DIAGRAM 6 
Bounce-Pass and Shot 
Bounce-pass A to B. 
B to A. 



60 BASKET BALL 

ball toAvards the passer by pulling the thumbs 
down and in towards the body. This causes 
the ball to bounce high and slowly and thus 
it may be liandled more surely by the receiver. 
Practice the Bounce Pass in parallel lines, 
and in weaving, as \\yv Ww underhand pass. 
Later it is Avell to mix up all types of short 
passes in the one practice period. Diagram 6. 

The OverJiand SJiouldcr Pass can be made 
with either one or with both hands. It is the 
most natural method of passing and the one 
most connnonly employed. However, T be- 
lieve that it is best restricted to use in the 
backfield positions and Troiu out ol* hounds, 
because the underhand, the shove and the 
bounce [)asses can all be made more quickly 
and accurately, are more deceptive to the 
guardiug phiver aud so are mori^ useful in tlie 
scoring areas. 

The two hand, shouUler pass, is used very 
much more in the East than in the INliddle 
West, especially in the scoi-iug area. 

77/ (' Orcrliead Hooh Pass — This is perhaps 
the fastest and most accurate pass for long- 
distances and, when skilfully made, is almost 
iuipossible to block or guard successfully. It 
is especially useful in glutting tlie ball away 




PLATE C— HOOK PASS OR SHOT 
First Position 



h3 
> 

O 
w I 

§ O 

^- > 

O Oi 

O 
w 
O 





PLATE F— HOOK PASS OR SHOT 
Finish 



TECHNIQUE 61 

from the backfield after the recovery of a 
missed shot from the backboard. Usually, in 
such case, the opposing attack is following in 
hard for the rebound or to tie up the guard 
with a held ball. This is often accomplished 
on a guard who uses the overhand pass from 
the shoulder or the underhand pass, for he 
must face the oncoming opponents while pass- 
ing up the field. The hook pass, on the con- 
trary, is made while facing away from the 
point or man to be passed to. This permits the 
guard to reverse and present his back to the 
oncoming rebound men, following which he 
takes an additional step and jump before pass- 
ing the ball, which then goes overhead and 
backward up the field. 

The Hook Pass is made by holding the ball 
in the throwing hand, waist high, with the fin- 
gers spread, and the ball held against the wrist, 
(Plate C). If the right hand is used, turn the 
left side to the opponent (Plate D, E), take one 
step away from him with the right foot, and 
then jump high and turn in the air so as to 
alight facing the opponent (Plate F). At the 
crest of the jump execute the pass by swinging 
the fully extended arm from the waist upward 
and overhead. Do not bend the elbow. The 
fingers are brought downward and under the 



62 BASKET BALL 

ball as it leaves the hand, an important point 
in securing accnracy. 

For long passes from the backfield, and espe- 
cially when no opponent is pressing the passer, 
the Hook Pass is made without the step and 
jump. A major point is the snap of the fingers 
down and underneath the ball as it is thrown. 
This pass is fast, accurate, and exceedingly dif- 
ficult to guard. 

A practice exercise for the Hook Pass is to 
line the squad up in file formation. The first 
man takes the ball, makes one step and bounce, 
then catches the ball in both hands, jumps high, 
and makes a half turn in the air alighting fac- 
ing the receiver, with legs widely spread, knees 
bent and toes turned outward. At the crest 
of the jump the hook pass is made backward 
to the next man in the file and so on through 
the squad in turn. 

Points in Passing — Improvement in passing 
is to be gained chiefly by eliminating the stop 
that so often occurs between the receipt of the 
ball and its subsequent delivery to a teammate. 
Eeceive the ball and repass with one motion. 

A fumble is usually the result of a poor pass, 
which may have been inaccurate, too high or 
too low, too far ahead or so far behind as to 



TECHNIQUE 63 

break the receivers stride, or, quite frequently, 
too speedy for the distance traversed. If a 
player fumbles badly towards the close of a 
game it may be a sign of excessive fatigue and 
an indication for a substitution. If the player 
fumbles more than usual towards the middle 
or end of the season, it may indicate staleness. 
A lay off is then in order. 



CHAPTER VII 
SHOOTING 



^ 



There are several varieties of shots for bas- 
ket from scrimmage: (1) the waist or iinder- 
liand loop, (2) the cJiest or overhand loop, (3) 
and the two hand and one hand shots from the 
shoidder, are the chief ones for shots of 10 or 
more feet from the basket. For shots close to 
or from under the basket the (4) one hand push 
shot following a high jump, and the (5) over- 
hand hoolv shot, are best. A description of these 
five, how to practice them, and the chief indi- 
cations for each shot, follows : 

1. The Underhand Loop Shot 

This is the easiest and most natural way to 
shoot for goal, and is the one which inexperi- 
enced players almost always employ. With feet 
spread, and ball held in both hands at waist 
level or below, elbows bent and close to sides, 
the ball is raised forward and upward, usually 
Avitli a full, swinging extension of the arms, 

64 



SHOOTING 65 

until the hands are about to the level of, and 
far out from, the face. An english is usually 
given by a full extension of M^rists and fingers 
at the final moment of throwing so as to cause 
the ball to rotate inward towards the thrower, 
the intent being to cause a sharp downward re- 
bound from the back stop in case of overthrow. 
I There is no question as to the naturalness 
and the muscular freedom of this style of shot. 
For long distance attempts from in front of the 
goal and especially from deep scoring distance, 
as when a guard shoots following a short drive 
up the floor, and with no opponents at hand, 
the shot is very effective. 

The chief objections to the underhand loop 
shot is that it requires more time to make than 
do other styles of shooting and therefore al- 
lows the defending players more time in which 
to close in to block the shot. Again, as the ball 
traverses a wide arc from below the waist to 
above the head it is far more easily blocked by 
the extended arms of the guarding player than 
is any type of overhand shot. For these reasons 
I favor shots which are better suited to use in 
' closely guarded areas. If the underhand loop 
is used care should be taken to keep the elbows 
close in to the sides, and an effort should be 
made to shorten the arc through which the ball 



66 BASKET BALL 

is lifted on the shot. An underhand loop shot, 
devoid of the objections I have outlined, and 
much more effective than the old swinging 
underhand style mentioned, is one thrown from 
the waist or above, and executed mainly by 
wrist and finger extension, with only a slight 
assisting movement of the fore arms, the upper 
arms remaining almost motionless This shot 
is gotten away even faster than is the overhan J 
or chest loop shot, by the ball being brought 
into the shooting position at the waist on com- 
pletion of the receiving movement, and immedi- 
ately snapped from there as described. A re- 
verse english is given, as in the old style shot. 
This is a particularly effective shot for tall, 
clever handed men, and especially at distances 
of from ten to twenty feet. 

2. The Overhand or Chest Shot 

Plates a, H. 

The shot from the chest is made by bringing 
the ball from the catching position, close in to 
the waist or chest, and then forward and up- 
ward past the face by a full extension of the 
arms, before letting go. It is the best long 
shot style for the majority of players and for 
most occasions. 




PLATE G— OVERHAND CHEST SHOT 
Start 




PLATE H— OVERHAND CHEST SHOT 
Finish 



SHOOTING 67 

The ball should leave the hands above and 
in front of the eyes and so permit the head to 
be held erect and practically motionless and 
the eyes fixed on the goal. This enables a care- 
ful aim to be taken and maintained and is, per- 
haps, the reason for the greater success of this 
shot than the more natural underhand one, 
after the rather difficult muscular coordinations 
of the chest shot have once been thoroughly 
mastered ; one must note that in the underhand 
loop shot the head and eyes and in fact, very 
often the entire upper part of the body as well, 
are thrown upward and backward as the ball is 
shot. This movement can not but interfere with 
the fixed focus of the eyes on the basket, and 
must interfere somewhat with the aim. 

In the chest shot the extension of the arms 
should be complete, although the movement 
should be made slowly. 

The ball should be held by the finger tips and 
not against the palms. The hands should be 
rotated inward at the finish of the shot so that 
the thumbs are close together and the palms 
of the hands directed towards the basket. The 
muscles of the shoulders and arms should be re- 
laxed completely as the ball is delivered. The 
elbows should be kept at the sides and in front 



68 BASKET BALL 

at the begiiming of the shot and not allowed to 
spread out from the body. The hands, wrists 
and fore arms should be held in a straight line. 
Gnard against the tendency to flex the wrists 
on the fore arms, downward and f oreward, with 
the lowering of the ball below the waist jnst 
prior to the throwing motion. English is not 
required with this shot ; simply push the ball in 
the air, without spinning it. The more muscu- 
lar movements there are included in a physical 
performance, the more chance there is for one 
of them being made inaccurately and the total 
result so spoiled. English is not needed. Push 
the ball high in the air and with a loop that 
should reach its greatest height mid-way be- 
tween the thrower and the basket. Aim to just 
clear the front rim. If the loop is high so that 
the ball falls quite perpendicularly it is self- 
evident that the chances for its passing through 
the ring are greater than when a low, line type 
of shot is made. Low, line throwing is the 
chief fault with most shooters, and putting on| 
too much English is the next. If your men loop 
too high, and some few do, go slowly in criti- 
cizing them for they usually correct that fault 
themselves. A far greater difficulty is to se- 
cure satisfactory height from the majority 
Another advantage of giving good height to the 




PLATE I— CROSS BODY SHOULDER SHOT 
First Position 



I 




PLATE J— CROSS BODY SHOULDER SHOT 
Second Position 



I 




PLATE K— CROSS BODY SHOULDER SHOT 
Finish 



SHOOTING 69 

shot is that when a high loop shot overthrows 
and strikes the backboard anywhere from six 
to eighteen inches above and directly behind 
the basket, it will usually go through on the 
rebound. Again, even tho the attempt is so in- 
accurate that the rebound fails to score, the ball 
striking the backstop after a high loop is very 
apt to fall close to the basket and so be in good 
location for the oncoming rebound men to se- 
cure. The low, line shot, more frequently re- 
sults in a rebound over the heads of the oncom- 
ing forwards and is lost to the offense. The 
advantage lies with the high rather than with 
the low throw. 

3. The Shoulder Shot 

Plates I, J, K. 

When an oncoming offense is being driven 
towards the corner by the defense, and espe- 
cially wiien the man with the ball is dribbling it 
at speed, a chest or push shot is more difficult to 
execute, and is more easily guarded, than is the 
underhand shot across the body, or the two, or 
the one hand shot, from the shoulder, the 
right shoulder when the offense is going to the 
right and vice versa. In this situation, with the 
shooter going towards the sidelines, an excel- 



70 BASKET BALL 

lent shot is the two hand shot from over the 
shoulder, made by lifting the ball with both 
hands over the shoulder, elbows bent, much as 
one would lift a ball bat. This carries the ball 
to the side away from the guard. The ball is 
then thrown or lifted upward from shoulder and 
diagonally across the face, by simply extend- 
ing the elbows and so lifting or looping the 
ball. A jump often accompanies the shot, and 
makes it almost impossible to guard. The loop 
is made high and should be aimed to carom 
from the back board, striking it high and well 
to the side and above, the basket. The shot can 
be made from either shoulder. 

A variation of this shot and one which was 
used by several clever players for some strik- 
ing baskets in the 1922 Western Conference 
season and which appears to be becoming quite 
general in its use, is the one hand push shot 
from the shoulder while the shooter is travel- 
ling to the side and away from the mid area. 
The shot is made at full speed. The ball is re- 
ceived from a pass or dribble and is brought to 
the front of the throwing shoulder, being held, 
when travelling to the right, with the right hand 
behind and controlling the ball, and with the 
fingers of the left hand lightly retaining the 
ball in place from in front. The throwing elbow 




PLATE L— ONE HAND SHOVE SHOT 



SHOOTING 71 

is held close to and in front of the hip. The 
ball is then thrown or pushed from the right 
shoulder, somewhat as one wonld lob a base 
ball, the hand passing across the face and 
obliquely to the left. Carom the shot. I noted 
one such successful shot in each of three one 
point margin, Ioav score, conference games in 
the 1922 season. 

When travelling across the mid line and to 
the left, a right handed player had better use 
the two handed shoulder shot or the under- 
handed loop shot thrown across the body from 
left to right. 

4. The One Hand Push Shot 

Plate L. 

For quick accurate work when close to the 
basket and especially following a dribble close 
to or beneath the ring, the one hand push shot 
is best. The chief point to emphasize here is for 
the player to secure a good high jump, not a 
broad jump, towards the basket, locate the bas- 
ket with the eye as he goes np and keep the 
eye on the goal until the shot is completed. 
A¥hen at the height of the jump the player fin- 
ishes the shot by fully extending the shooting 
arm above the head and pushing the ball 



72 BASKET BALL 

slightly, as it leaves the hand. Lay the ball up 
against the bank rather than throw it. A slight 
english is given the ball by pushing the shooting 
hand np and over so that the thumb turns 
towards the basket and down. This rotates the 
ball away from the player and causes it to 
carom downward sharply. The bank should be 
struck about 18 inches above and to the side of 
the ring. 

Common points of error in this shot are to 
strike the backboard too close to the ring; to 
neglect to english the ball ; to broad rather than 
to high jump to the basket; to neglect the use 
of the bank ; and, finally, to shoot from in front 
rather than from the side of the basket. 

5. The Overhaistd Hook Shot 

This is a very valuable shot for close-in work 
at the basket and especially when the shooter is 
travelling practically parallel to the end line 
and across in front of the basket. 

It is executed just as is the hook pass, the 
technique being identical, except that the pass 
is directed at the basket instead of to a player. 
The ball is grasped in two hands, following a 
pass or dribble, and held waist high; one step 
is then taken towards the side line and a high 
jump made that permits the player to half turn 



SHOOTING 73 

in the air so as to face the basket. The throw- 
ing arm is then swung fully extended at first 
away from the body and towards the side line 
and then sweeps over the head and towards the 
opposite shoulder and the basket. The ball 
leaves the hand almost directly above the head 
and while the player is in the air. The man 
should land with legs widely separated, knees 
bent, and toes turned out, ready to pivot or 
advance at will. The arm is kept almost straight 
and the ball is looped with a full arm, over the 
head, swing. The shot, like the pass, is almost 
impossible to block and is made with a great 
degree of accuracy following definite coaching. 
It is an entirely artificial mode of shooting and 
will need lots of practice to secure proficiency, 
but is well worth the time spent on it. 

Refer to Plates C, D. E, F, for the technique 
of the Hook Shot is similar to that of the Hook 
Pass. 

There are other methods of shooting, but the 
ones discussed are those I use to the exclusion 
of the rest, as all of them, with the exception 
of the underhand toss, lend themselves well to 
the short pass type of offense which I employ. 

A few additional bits of advice, of a general 
nature, on shooting technique follow: 



74 BASKET BALL 

(1) Take the shot with deliberation. 

(2) Never make ^Hake a chance" shots — a 

pass is indicated when the shot is 
donbtful. 

(3) Locate the basket before the shot is 

made. 

(4) Watch the basket nntil the ball hits or 

misses it. 

(5) Follow the shot — a shot is simply a pass 

to yourself ; go get it as it comes down. 

(6) Get height on the throw. 

(7) The side carom shot is the only one from 

scrimmage, that it pays to english. 

(8) Shoot clean from in front — it gives two 

chances to score, while shooting at the 
bank will give but one. 

(9) The disadvantages of the bank shot lie 

in the differences in the elasticity and 
the rigidity of different back boards. 
When you play on the other fellow's 
court you give him an advantage by 
making carom shots against a board 
that he is more familiar with than you 
are. Again, balls bounce differently, 
according to their make, the kind of 
leather, and their degree of inflation. 
These factors render the rebound vari- 
able and one can not become suffi- 



SHOOTING 75 

ciently familiar with the individual pe- 
culiarities of the ball and back stops 
in the practice period allowed. Not so 
many varying factors enter into the 
clean shot. 

(10) Advance, for rebounds, so as to be from 

eight to ten feet from the basket, if 
possible, when your shot strikes — then 
drive in for the ball. Most men rush 
in too fast and jump too soon, for re- 
bounds. 

(11) After making a shot while advancing 

toward the end, or side lines, reverse 
turn, immediately, and follow in for 
the rebound. Many men remain out of 
bounds or out of active participation 
in play, for too long a time after shoot- 
ing. 

(12) Try to use both hands equally in shoot- 

ing. Some men push the ball much 
more with one than with the other. It 
is an error that is capable of correc- 
tion. 

(13) It is a mistake to practice distance shots 

until the 15 and 20 foot ones are made 
skillfully or to practice corner shots 
until those from in front are well exe- 
cuted. 



76 BASKET BALL 

(14) Practice at speed, and exactly as one 

would play in game. One will play as 
one practices. 

(15) Spend most of your practice period in 

basket shooting. The coordinations 
used in goal throwing are different 
from any other activity and it will re- 
quire much practice to perfect and 
make reflex these unusual movements. 
For men with loose, smooth muscles 
and normal powers of coordination 
skillful basket shooting is merely a 
matter of practice. 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS FOR 
SHOOTING 

(1) Play the game of twenty-one; in this a 
clean shot counts 3, a bank shot 2 and a follow 
up or rebound shot counts one. The ball must 
be shot from where it is recovered on the re- 
bound or whore received on a pass. Divide the 
squad into 4 groups and place two groups at 
each basket, each group having its own ball. 
The groups line up according to their degree of 
proficiency 15, 20 or more feet away from the 
basket, as the coach directs, and at first in front 
of the basket near the foul circle and later out 



SHOOTING 77 

towards the sides of the court and further from 
the basket. Number the men in each group and 
have them shoot in turn in their respective 
groups. The two groups at a given basket com- 
pete against each other. Number one shoots, 
follows and shoots the rebound if the shot is 
missed and then passes to the next man on his 
squad. Eacli man recovers his own shot. Each 
group shoots at will and so develops speed in 
handling the ball. The group first securing 21 
points wins. The game adds sport to the prac- 
tices and, as the men become interested in the 
contest, their true form soon is exhibited and 
can be criticised by the coach. The exercise 
practices in the long shot, short shot, the re- 
bound, and the pass. 

(2) Practice formation for a pass and a 
short, oblique shot. See diagram 5. 

(a) Form a flanl^ line, one man behind 
another, at the side of the court and about 
thirty feet from the end line; (b) locate one 
man at the free shot mark; (c) locate one 
man close to basket. The (b) men pass to the 

(a) men. The latter dash from side line to goal, 
receive a pass from (b), and shoot; either (a) 
or (c) secures the rebound which is snapped to 

(b) again. Rotate so that each man, in turn. 



78 BASKET BALL 

fills (a), (b), and (c), positions. Keverse the 
sides. 

(3) Practice the Bounce Pass in two flank 
lines 30 feet in front of and facing the basket 
and about 20 feet apart. The two file leaders 
advance and bounce pass from man to man as 
they dash to basket. Finish with a jump and 
push shot by man on right. Man on left secures 
rebound and shoots. Eeverse. Diagram 6. 

(4) Dribble practice, with pivot and pass or 
shot. From 30 feet in front of basket, have the 
men (a) dribble, in turn, to the free shot line, 
where one guard is stationed. On reaching the 
guard (b) pivot and shoot long; or pass to a 
team mate located at the side (c) and try to 
secure return pass from him for shot or drib- 
ble to basket ; or shoot over guards head, with- 
out pivot or turn, and try for the rebound. 
Diagrams 7, 8. 

SHOOTING FOULS 

Foul shooting is entirely an individual effort 
and to my mind has too important a bearing 
on the success of what should be a team effort. 
Again, I dislike to see a team which has been 
outscored from scrimmage and with the fouls 
about on a par, win because of the excellent 



SHOOTING 79 

work of its free shooter. A team which has 
played an even or superior game to its oppon- 
ent in all other respects, is quite often defeated 
because of the lack of success of its free shooter 
in an effort -that is entirely individualistic and 
distinct from any other type of work on the 
court — this by way of criticism of the free shot. 
However, there can be no question as to the im- 
portance of foul shooting and as to the value 
to a team of a clever scorer; it is well, there- 
fore, for a coach to have two men drilled for 
the work, and, if they are nearly equal, to de- 
cide on the man for the place after watching 
them both practice just before a contest. 
Usually, however, the older man, in point of 
service, would be the steadier and the more 
dependable. 

The best style of free shooting is still unde- 
cided. I have seen men, especially old, experi- 
enced players in Y. M. C. A.'s, use the push 
shot from the chest, much as one would shoot 
from scrimmage, and score in a wonderful 
manner. Again, especially in the East, one 
frequently sees excellent foul shooters, stand- 
ing as though to execute an underhand loop 
shot and then, with a slight extension or erec- 
tion of the body, bring the ball up from the 
waist, past the chest and face for a push shot. 



80 ^ BASKET BALL 

Last, one sees in the Middle West, the old fash- 
ioned underhand loop shot used by the great 
majority of free shot men; a style much criti- 
cised by the Easteners. Two of the best foul 
shots I have ever seen began their shots with 
the ball resting on the floor and then executed 
the underhand loop. 

Because of these experiences I have come to 
feel that the style of the free shot is an individ- 
ual matter, though certain basal factors in the 
technique of the shot should be maintained. 
The stance should be with the feet well spread 
to preserve balance, and with the knees slightly 
bent. Whether both feet touch the line or 
whether one is somewhat behind the other, 
about 12 inches, is optional, so long as the 
stance is free and easy and of sufficient spread 
to insure good support and balance. 

The ball should be shot clean. It is well to 
aim so as to just clear the front ring. Keep 
the eye on the basket from the moment the ball 
is grasped for the throw until the shot is com- 
pleted. Execute the shot in one unbroken mo- 
tion. Follow through with the arms to full 
extension. Many profit by rising on the toes 
on the throw. Keep the hands on the opposite 
poles of the ball rather then under it. Loop 



SHOOTING 81 

the ball about 15 feet high. English is unneces- 
sary on the free shot. 

In practicing the free throw have the shooter 
leave the line after each shot and then approach 
it again for the next attempt. It is not well to 
stand on the line and toss the ball repeatedly 
without changing the stance. 



CHAPTER VIII 

DRIBBLING 

There are but few points in technique that 
need emphasizing in the dribble although it is 
one of the most difficult of all manipulations 
with the ball. But a small percentage of play- 
ers become sufficiently proficient with the drib- 
ble to use it advantageously. The play re- 
quires a very great deal of practice and is one 
of the nicest tests of coordination that I know 
of. Except to provide opportunity for plenty 
of practice the coach can do little other than 
criticise the position of the body, the applica- 
tion of the fingers and hand to the ball and the 
height of the bounce. The body should be 
flexed at the waist a trifle and yet not bent over 
so as to cause interference with progress or 
with vision. The ball should not be slapped 
by the palm of the hand, but should be pushed 
down by the curved fingers and, in the main, 
by action of the wrist. The height of the 
dribble should be well below the line of vision. 
Many men bounce the ball too high and so are 

82 



DRIBBLING 83 

unable to seize it quickly enough when attacked 
by a guard. A clever man can keep the height 
of the bounce at or below waist line. 

There are disadvantages in the use of the 
dribble, chief of which is its spectacular na- 
ture, the tendency it has to induce individual 
rather than team effort, the difficulty involved 
in executing the dribble and at the same time 
watching the floor for an opportunity to pass, 
and the tendency the play has to provoke a 
rough defence. Many coaches consider that 
these disadvantages offset its values and so 
absolutely prohibit its use at all times. 

For taking the ball away from the basket, on 
a hard fought, scrambling scrimmage, a sharp 
driving dribble is valuable, at either end of the 
floor. It is especially valuable, when all the 
team is covered except the dribbler, as a means 
of advancing the ball and at the same time giv- 
ing the covered men time and opportunity to 
shake the guards. Further, the dribble can 
very readily be worked into the set plays, both 
from out of bounds and from center. The 
dangers of the play are readily curbed and the 
advantages of it enhanced, by coaching. The 
dribble should not be permitted to be used at 
will, except when, on offense and near the goal, 
a fake to pass is converted into a sudden drib- 



84 BASKET BALL 

ble and drive to the basket for a shot. Com- 
bined with the fake or feint pass or with the 
bounce pass, the dribble can be used very effec- 
tively close to goal. 

A valuable combination with the dribble is 
the pivot or reverse turn, by which the dribbler 
reverses so as to turn his back towards the 
guard who checks his advance. From this 
position the ball is passed readily to a team 
mate. The play is made much more sure and 
effective, if definitely coached, and especially 
so if some one is taught to follow the dribbler 
so as to be in position to secure the backward 
pass following the pivot. The dribble followed 
by a pivot and pass to a trailer, is capable of 
a high degree of development and is a success- 
ful type of play. It should not, of course, pre- 
dominate, but should be used as a variant to 
fast and accurate passing and to fast shifting, 
by men well versed in stops and turns and other 
methods of losing the guards. A practice 
formation is represented in diagrams 7, 8. 



PIVOTS, STOPS AND TURNS 85 

PIVOTS, STOPS AND TUENS 

Some players have sufficient speed to gain a 
start on an opponent, without the use of special 
methods. Other men may be so slow that with- 
out specially coached tricks of stopping, start- 
ing and turning, they are unable to get free. 
Two of the most effective forwards I have had 
were of this latter type. 

While the coach may have a variety of stops 
and turns in his repertoire, he will do well to 
limit the number he attempts to teach to any 
individual. The crux of this feature of basket 
ball is its application. Many men come to 
their first varsity practice very well able to 
pivot, when unopposed, but not many can ex- 
ecute a turn and get the ball away during scrim- 
mage. 

Of the various pivots and turns, some play- 
ers acquire one much more readily than an- 
other variety. It is well to let the man develop 
his favorite one. The chief job of the coach 
is to teach the man when and where to execute 
his favorite turn in scrimmage. This experi- 
ence is gained during play and only by the 
coach constantly stopping the game to acquaint 
the men with the overlooked opportunities, as 
they occur. The increased use of the pivot and 



86 BASKET BALL 

turns has done nmcli to advance and improve 
basketball in late years and to introduce skill 
and deftness of mind and muscle into the old 
style game of A^ind sprints, up and down the 
floor. 

Two stop and turn plays of great value, are 
the (1) FEONT PIVOT or forward turn (dia- 
gram 9), and the (2) BACK PWOT or reverse 
turn (diagrams 10, 11). The first is particu- 
larly useful to dodge and let go by, an oppon- 
ent who has been following a player hard and 
close, as in a dribble, or when a forward dash- 
ing in for a tip off is being matched or pursued 
by his guard. 

The front turn is made by jumping from 
either foot, short, low and forward about 2 or 3 
feet, and landing on both feet. Do not turn 
on the jump. Land on both feet, with them 
toeing out slightly and wdth the entire soles of 
the feet on the floor. Do not alight on the balls 
of the feet and do not turn the ankles or feet to 
the side. The knees are Avell bent and the legs 
well separated. Crouch Ioav, by flexion at the 
knees and at the waist. When the both feet 
alight push otf strongly and immediately ^vith 
one, keeping the other firmly applied to the 
floor, and make a half turn on the stationary 
foot so as to face about. The turn is made for- 



PIVOTS, STOPS AND TURNS 87 

ward, that is, on a right turn the right foot 
remains on the floor, the heel is raised, and the 
man pivots or rotates on the toes and ball of 
the right foot. The push off is made with the 
left foot, toward the right and the left leg is 
swung in an arc forward and to the right and 
simultaneously with it, the left shoulder, so as 
to bring the player facing to the rear. If go- 
ing to the right the right shoulder is lowered 
when the feet alight on the first jump. This 
brings that shoulder closer to, and over, the 
pivot foot, and gives a good balance for the 
execution of the turn. If going to the left, 
reverse the above maneuvers. The turn is 
usually made toward the side lines, though not 
necessarily so, and usually the right foot is the 
pivot foot and the right shoulder the one low- 
ered, on the right side of the floor and vice 
versa. The ball is now shot or passed and the 
player simultaneously executes another and 
similar front turn by which he pivots forward 
on the right foot and makes a half or quarter 
turn in the direction of the play. 

The Reverse Turn or Pivot — The reverse 
pivot is one of the finest plays in basket ball 
and requires perfect judgment, timing and 
splendid coordination. I could never under- 
stand those who advocate the abolition of the 



88 BASKET BALL 

turns or pivots, — as well abolish the nse of the 
banks in billiards and reduce the content of the 
game to mediocrity. 

The reverse is used in exactly opposite situa- 
tions to those in which the front turn is indi- 
cated. As stated, the front turn is used to lose 
a pursuer. The reverse turn is used to outwit 
an opponent who faces and comes toward the 
man with the ball. From the reverse pivot, a 
pass or shot can be made, or even a dribble. 
It is executed as follows: The man with the 
ball advances to within about 3 feet of his op- 
ponent and then, if he intends turning to the 
left, he slaps the right foot directly forward 
at the guard, foot flat on the floor, knees bent, 
and ball in both hands. He must not stop on 
the balls of the feet. Immediately the right 
foot strikes the floor push backward from it, 
with all force, and swing the right leg, well ex- 
tended, backward toward the rear and toward 
the left; meantime the heel of the left foot is 
raised and the left shoulder lowered slightly. 
The player pivots on the ball and toes of the left 
foot, so that, with the right leg swinging back- 
ward, a half turn or an about face is executed, 
which presents the pivoters back to the guard. 
From this position the ball is passed. The 
maneuver is then completed by making another 



PIVOTS, STOPS AND TURNS 89 

turn, this time a forward one, pivoting on the 
right foot and swinging the left one forward 
and to the right, to shake free the guard. 
There are several important points to watch in 
coaching; first, that the pivot actually gains 
ground at right angles to the original course 
of the pivoter and second, that the ball is 
thrown when the first step, the half turn, is 
completed. See diagrams 9, 10, 11. 

Practice Formations for Stops and Turns 

Diagrams 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 

Front turn — Line up in flank line at side cen- 
ter facing basket. Count off by twos. Num- 
ber one dribbles toward basket. Number two 
pursues and crowds dribbler towards side line 
— the latter stops and front turns, gaining 3 
feet to the side, and allows the pursuer to go 
by. Pass back to next man in line. Reverse 
positions. 

Reverse turn — Squad in flank line facing 
basket and at center. One man stationed, as 
guard, at foul circle. Flank men dribble down 
to the guard, pivot either way, and shoot for 
goal or pass back to next man in line. 



00 



BASKET BALL 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 




DIAGRAM 7— Dribble and Pivot-Pass 

A dribbles to guard, B; A pivots toward C and passes; A continues 

on for repass from C; d= pivot. 



PIVOTS, STOPS AND TURNS 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 



91 




DIAGRAM 8— Dribble, pivot-pass to trailer 

i dribbles, pivots at (d) when in contact with (b); 1 passes to 2; 

2 dribbles and shoots or long shot. 



92 



BASKET BALL 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 




DIAGRAM 9— Front Pivot or Front-Turn, Foot Work of Pivot 
A, Players steps, advancing; B, Jump to stop, feet spread; C, Turn 
forward and to right. Left foot (.LI) raised, swung to right, and re- 
versed, L2. Right foot pivots in place, Rl and R2. 



PIVOTS, STOPS AND TURNS 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 



93 




DIAGRAM 10 — Reverse Turn, or Pivot, with Gain to Side 
A, Player's steps, advancing; B, Jump to stop, feet spread; Rl, Ll, 
Position of feet following stop; Rl and R2, Right foot raised and 
swung backward, away from guard, back turned toward guard, and 
foot replaced at R2: Ll and L2, Heel raised, pivot in place on ball of 
foot, to L2: b. Opponent guard. 



94 



HASKKT BAT.L 

PRACTICE FORMATIONS 




DIAGRAM 11 — Reverse Turn, or Pivot, with Gain Forward Around 
Guard 
b. Opponent guard; .4. Player's steps advancing; B, Footwork of 
the pivot: Rl, Right foot flat, to a full stop; Ll, left foot (Ll. L2) 
raised and swung backward, away from guard, back turned toward 
guard, and left foot replaced at L2, direction as indicated. Rl, R2, 
Right heel raised, pivot on ball, from right to left. 



CHAPTER IX 

DEFENSE 

Individual Technique 
Plates M, N, 0. 

On tip-off formation, the guard should locate 
a little inside and behind his forward, feet well 
spread, arms at sides and in a position so that 
the forward must run in to the guards arms or 
legs if he dashes direct from his position to bas- 
ket. This stance enables the guard to watch 
both the ball and the forward at the same time. 
When the forward dashes in for the tip-off, 
the guard should follow closely, so as to secure 
the tip-off, if possible, or if unsuccessful, to in- 
terfere with further play. It is not enough sim- 
ply to prevent an opponent from scoring; in- 
terference with passing is equally important, 
and that requires close covering of the offensive 
opponent in the scoring area. It is not advis- 
able to follow the forward beyond the center of 
the floor ; wait for him to return. 

When an opponent with the ball approaches 
95 



96 BASKET BALL 

the guard, as in a dribble, the latter should ad- 
vance slightly, so as to be in motion when time 
for final effort arrives. A stationary player 
is at a disadvantage. Care should be taken 
however not to rush the man with the ball, for 
that gives a good pivoter his looked for oppor- 
tunity to feint and side step, or to pivot, away. 
The pivot spells gloom to a rushing guard. One 
reason for the comparative lack of success of 
football men in up to date basket ball, is be- 
cause of the tendency of the foot ball man to 
charge with the body and arms inclined forward 
and set tense, so as to withstand shock. This 
*^hit 'em hard'' type of guarding pleases the 
crowd but loses many a game. 

As the offensive and defensive men approach, 
the guard should crouch somewhat, and stand 
mth legs spread wide apart, knees bent, and 
feet flat on the floor. The arms should be ad- 
vanced forward and somewhat to the sides. The 
body should be held so that progress can be 
made equally easily to either side. If the guard 
rushes at an opponent he should manage to 
assume practically the stance described before 
coming into contact with him. This requires a 
slowing of the guard's rush a yard or more be- 
fore reaching his man. A balance that will per- 
mit the guard to shift to either side is the b^st 




PLATE M— DEFENSE POSITIONS 
Guards Stance 




PLATE N— DEFENSE POSITIONS 
Guards Stance 




PLATE O— DEFENSE POSITIONS 
Guards Stance 



DEFENSE — INDIVIDUAL TECHNIQUE 97 

offset to the use of the pivot by his opponent. 
The guard's arm should be kept nearly straight 
when reaching for the ball held by an opponent ; 
a foul is less apt to be made if this precaution 
is taken. 

The guard's face should be squarely towards 
the opponent and the eyes fixed upon him. 
Turning the head and momentarily closing the 
eyes, at moment of contact, are two common 
faults. 

Other principles of individual defense are: 
(1) To keep between the opponent and the 
basket; (2) to drive the man with the ball out 
towards the sidelines and always away from in 
front of the goal; (3) to stick closer than ever 
to the opponent after the latter shoots or 
passes — the tendency is for the guard to leave 
his man and seek the rebound, leaving the 
opponent free to receive a return pass; (4) 
when guarding a man in possession of the ball 
out of bounds, cover that man closely immedi- 
ately after the pass is made and as he re- 
enters the court; (5) if a man once gets by a 
guard the latter must turn and overtake 
him. Don't jog but dash back, and don't wait 
for someone else to get him; (6) keep close to 
the forward constantly— it tends to unnerve 



98 BASKET BALL 

him; (7) except when guarding a man who is 
ont of bounds, never face an opponent so as to 
present the back to, and so lose sight of, the 
ball; (8) the chief function of a guard is de- 
fense, but a guard who can not, or will not, 
shoot, is not a great asset to a team. On one of 
my conference championship teams my guards 
outscored my forwards and still maintained a 
tight defense ; (9) be alert to shift from defense 
to offense the moment your team secures the 
ball; (10) at least one of the guards should be 
in the defensive area at all times during scrim- 
mage. Usually the best scorer goes up with the 
attack, but it is well to alternate if possible. 
It is poor basket ball to have both guards up at 
one time except on a forward shift play and 
then only on definite signal. Practice forma- 
tions, diagrams 7 and 8. 



CHAPTER X 
DEFENSE 

Team Technique 

Defense Formation^ Opponents Foul Shot — 
The defense position when the opponents have a 
free throw, is with the two best jumpers, usu- 
ally your tallest men, on the junction of the 
free throw lane and end lines, one at either side 
of the basket. The two most active scrimmage 
men are stationed, one on each side, at the be- 
ginning of the foul circle. One of these two men 
should be held responsible for covering the free 
shooter to prevent him recovering the ball fol- 
lowing a miss. The fifth man is usually placed 
a yard behind the foul circle and in the mid line, 
for duty on either side and to receive the pass 
when his team secures the ball. 

As the free shot is made, the man delegated 
to watch the shooter should step towards and in 
front of him, and then front turn so as to face 
the basket. This maneuver places the guard in 
position for the rebound and also forces the 

99 



I 



100 BASKET BALL 

DEFENSE FORMATION— OPPONENT'S FREE SHOT 




DIAGRAM 12 

X, Free shooter; ^a. Watches shooter and steps in to position ib to 

protect rebound. 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 101 

shooter to run around him in following the shot. 
In thus presenting his back to the shooter, the 
guard must not make contact with him in any 
way. See diagram 12. 

Defence Formations at Tip-Off — The usual, 
balanced formation, with forwards in the for- 
ward area and with guards back and on either 
side, is the common and generally the most sat- 
isfactory one when the your center is controll- 
ing the tip-off, or when your forwards are se- 
curing the free ball most of the time. When, 
however, your center is being out jumped con- 
sistently, or when the opposition secures the 
ball more than half the time from any sort of 
tip-off, other arrangements of the players are 
better. A strong defense, of course, in the situ- 
ation described, and for the period immediateh^ 
following the tip-off, is the chief requirement of 
the team weak at center. 

Unbalanced Formations 

Unbalanced formations will strengthen the 
defense at tip-off; two of these are: the Tri- 
angle defensive formation, with the apex for- 
ward, (diagrams 13, 16), and with base forward 
(diagrams 15, 18). I began using these forma- 
tions in 1915, in the Western Conference, and 



102 



BASKET BALL 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP=OFF 




DIAGRAM 13— Triangle Formation, Apex Forward, Tip-off to Right 
a. Forwards; b. Guards. 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 103 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 14— "L" Formation, Tip-off to Right 
a. Forwards; b. Guards. 



104 BASKET BALL 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 15 — Triangle Formation, Apex Back 

a. Forwards; b. Guards. 

Three men after the tip-off. 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 105 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 16— Triangle Formation, Apex Forward, Tip-off to Left 
a. Forwards; b. Guards. 



106 . BASKET BALL 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP-OFF 



"5" 


A A 



DIAGRAM 17— "L" Formation, Tip-off to Left 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 107 

UNBALANCED FORMATIONS AT TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 18— Triangle Formation, Apex Back 



108 BASKET BALL 

have used them every year since then, when my 
centers were losing the tip-off. In the diagram 
13 formation the guards take their normal 
places in side of and behind their respective 
opposing forwards. One forward, preferably 
the more rugged and agile of the two, is brought 
down into defensive territory and located about 
seven feet back of center, forming the apex of 
the defensive triangle. The remaining forward, 
usually the better shot of the two, is located in 
forward territory directly behind the opponents 
center and ten feet from him. On tip-off both 
forwards and the guard nearest to the ball, all 
pile in for the ball, if it comes into defensive 
territory. This throws three men on the ball, 
regardless of who tips it in center, against the 
opponents two. Because of this, the opposing 
center will probably tip the ball backward, in 
which area he will have two guards opposed by 
but one forward. However, as the offensive 
forward is between the guards he is in position 
to drive in to either side and so may actually 
secure the tip-off, failing which he dashes back 
to a position facing the ball, in the defense, back 
of center. Both forwards pile in for the tip-oif 
regardless of the side to which it goes 

The other formation (15) is to reverse the tri- 
angle, placing the defensive forward and the 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 109 

running guard a little in front of the positions 
normally occupied by the guards and the defen- 
sive guard between and behind them, at the free 
throw mark. The other forward locates between 
the opponents guards, as in the (13) formation. 
On tip-off the offensive forward and the de- 
fensive man on the side of the tip-off, drive in 
for the ball. The defensive guard moves up to 
cover the guard position thus left open. In all 
these formations the center falls back on de- 
fense at tip-off. See diagrams 13 to 18. 

The L variation of this formation, (diagrams 
14, 17), is to locate the forward in the forward 
area about three feet to the left side of the posi- 
tion he takes in (13), and the defensive forward 
three feet to the right side of his position in 
(13). Both men locate as far behind the center 
as in (13). At tip-off, the forward on the side 
to which the ball goes drives straight for it, the 
other forward crossing to his aid and behind 
center. The (13) formation was the better in 
my hands. 



110 BASKET BALL 

TEAM DEFENSE FKOM SCRIMMAGE 

There are several styles of defense, of which 
the five man formation is now the most com- 
monly employed. (1) In the earlier days of the 
game the defense consisted of each man watch- 
ing the player who lined np beside him at tip 
off. This is only mentioned to condemn it. 

(2) A four man style of defense that was 
formerly much nsed in tjie Western Conference 
in conjunction with the long-pass, center at bas- 
ket, offense, consisted of four men actively de- 
fending when the ball was lost while the fifth 
man, usually the center and always a sharp- 
shooter, remained located close to his own goal 
as a threat to the opponents. As someone had 
to cover the haan staying back at goal it re- 
stricted the offensive team to a four man at- 
tack, against which the defensive team also had 
four. The defense in this style of play was 
good and the lightning like change from defense 
to offense when the guarding players secured 
the ball, by a long, fast, overhand pass to the 
man near the basket, sometimes the length of 
the floor, was very effective. This type of of- 
fense will be discussed later. The four man, 
shifting defense referred to, is as follows : One 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 111 

man, a good shot and preferably a tall active 
man, usually the center, remains close to his 
goal. He only participates in the defense when 
fonl shots are being thrown, and then he comes 
down to the opponents goal for rebonnd work 
if the shot misses. He also covers a man on ont 
of bounds plays, opponents ball. The remainder 
of the time he plays close to his own basket. 

Another player, the best defensive man, re- 
mains in the backfield at about the free shot 
mark. He seldom advances much beyond that 
line but is especially drilled in defense, in tak- 
ing the ball off the backboard, and in passing 
overhand, accurately and speedily to the man 
on offense. 

The remaining three men, two forwards and 
the running guard, cover the floor pretty thor- 
oughly on attack, and, on losing the ball, come 
fast down the floor with the opponents, each tak- 
ing and sticking to the nearest man, on the way 
down. No special opponent is selected — the 
floor men break for the opponents basket on 
losing possession of the ball and each picks an 
opponent at about the center of the floor and 
remains with him until the ball is regained. The 
chief difficulty in this style of defense is to drill 
the floor men to pick one, from the free and 
fast moving opponents, and then to stick dog- 



112 BASKET BALL 

gedly with that particular man until the ball 
is regained; the defensive players must not 
shift from man to man. At first it will be diffi- 
cult to avoid having two of the floor men single 
out the same opponent. Practice, and the cus- 
tom of the defending man calling **got him'' 
when he covers his opponent, will soon obviate 
this difficulty. 

A major point, in this and in all other styles 
of defense, is that the attack must instantane- 
ously be reversed and changed to a fast dash 
back on defense, when the ball is, or is evidently 
about to be, lost. This defense is effective, and, 
when used by a team which can place a tall and 
good man at either end of the floor, with the 
use of clever long passes as one means of rap- 
idly shifting from defense to offense, gives good 
results. 

(2) The five-man, two line defense, now in 
common favor, is, perhaps, the hardest to pene- 
trate. It has the disadvantage of concentrating 
the entire team in defensive territory back of 
center, from which an offense, when the ball is 
recovered, has to progress without the aid of 
a leading man close to the basket and available 
for a quick pass. Because of this, many teams 
hold the ball temporarily in the backfield until 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 113 

their attack has had time to sift through the 
defense to within scoring distance. This is one 
of the best means of attacking from the five- 
man defense formation. 

The five-man defense requires definite and 
practically equal defensive work from all mem- 
bers of the team. On losing the ball, as after a 
shot, all five men dash immediately to center 
or a few feet beyond, and then line up facing 
the oncoming opponents. TJie customary forma- 
tion is with the center and two forwards form- 
ing a first line of defense, the center playing 
in the midline and a little in advance of the 
other two, and the forwards about ten feet 
to either side of the center. The entire line is 
advanced to such a point on the floor as to pre- 
vent any but '^hope" shots being taken from in 
front of them. On a 90 foot court the line lo- 
cates about five feet back from center. 

The two guards form a second line of defense, 
about 12 feet back of the first, each guard locat- 
ing about midway between the center and for- 
ward on his side of the court. See defense dia- 
gram, No. 19. 

(4) The one-line formation wherein all five 
men line up side by side across the court is 
comparatively ineffective and is not discussed. 
See diagram 20. 



114 BASKET BALL 

DEFENSE FORMATIONS FROM SCRIMMAGE 




DIAGRAM 19— Five-man, Two-line, Defense 



DEFENSE -^ TEAM TECHNIQUE 115 

DEFENSE FORMATIONS FROM SCRIMMAGE 



o 

a F c F (^ 



DIAGRAM 20 — Five-man, One-line, Defense 



116 BASKET BALL 




DIAGRAM 21 — Defense Formation, Five-man Defense, Parallel Lines 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 117 

(5) From the two-line formation there are 
two ways of checking the offense. In one, the 
man-to-man variation, each of the forward three 
defense men picks an opponent as he crosses 
the center of the floor, and sticks with him. 
This leaves the guards, quite often, the last to 
be engaged in active defense. As the men leave 
the forward line to drop still deeper into guard 
territory, the guards advance to fill the vacated 
areas. Each man sticks with the opponent he 
first comes in contact with, until his side again 
secures the ball, and only leaves such opponent 
for the purpose of securing the ball, when the 
opportunity for so doing is apparently more 
than an even one. This is a tight style of de- 
fense and is much used. 

(6) The other method of operating the two 
lines and the one which I prefer, and have used 
for years, is to permit the first line of three 
defense men to be penetrated by two opponents, 
before the first line men actually close in and 
stick to others in the enemy offense. The first 
two opponents thru the first line are picked up 
by the two guards in the second line. After 
two opponents are thru no more are allowed 
to sift thru the front line without being covered 
and followed. The men in the front line must 
keep count of the opponents in front of them — 



118 BASKET BALL 

any time less than three are in view, it means 
that the second line of defense has too many 
opponents to handle. This, of course, is obvi- 
ous, but it will take a world of patient coaching 
to drill it in to that front line, nevertheless. As 
one, or more, of the last three opponents passes 
the center of the floor he is matched by the de- 
fensive man nearest to him and is kept covered 
until the need for defense is over. 

The two line, five-man defense will not oper- 
ate well against a leading team which possesses 
the ball and is stalling for time in the backfield. 
Such a situation calls for an advance of the 
entire defensive team, each man taking and 
sticking to an opponent as he comes to him 
until an irregular man-to-man, five-man defense 
has been secured. 

(7) Another formation for the five-man de- 
fense is to locate the men in two parallel lines, 
in the long diameter of the court, three men in 
one and two in the other, with the leaders about 
five feet back of center and about ten feet apart. 
In this, the defensive players pick off the offen- 
sive as they cross the mid line, the first man 
over being taken by number one, the second by 
number two and so on, regardless of which side 
of the court they are on. The theory of the par- 



DEFENSE — TEAM TECHNIQUE 119 

allel lines defense is that the men can watch both 
their own and opposing players to better advant- 
age in this than in the front and rear line forma- 
tion. See defense diagram No. 21. 

Eegardless of the style of defense the chief 
consideration is to secure an instantaneous 
break of the entire team from offense to de- 
fense when the ball is, or is about to be, gained 
by the opponents. If the five-man formation 
cannot be formed well in advance of the arrival 
of the offense, it is of little value. When the 
ball has finally been regained it is equally im- 
perative that a lightning like reaction from de- 
fense to offense be manifested. This is one of 
the most difficult phases of team play to incul- 
cate, and also one of the most important. It 
will be discussed under Offense. 



CHAPTER XI 

OFFENSE— TEAM METHODS 

Signals — Because of the variety of plays 
available a team must have some definite means 
of announcing to each member just which one is 
to be attempted. The means of signalling the 
selection are many. (1) If a team has a limited 
number of plays they can be numbered and the 
raised hand, with fingers extended, can then 
suffice. In this connection I might state, that 
Avith added experience one's tendency is to re- 
strict the number of plays for use in any one 
situation — as at center tip-off, for instance. I 
have had four teams, two of them champion- 
ship ones, that had absolutely no plays from 
tip-off. 

(2) Another method of signalling is for the 
center to enter the quadrant of the center circle 
through which he will tip the ball on the jump 
off; that is, the tip goes to the right forward 
when the center steps through the quarter of 
the circle in right forward territory and so on. 

(3) The most commonly used signals are 

120 



OFFENSE — TEAM METHODS 121 

those of slapping the hands, or thighs, stroking 
the hair and other similar movements, each to 
designate a specified play. Of most importance 
in the discussion of signals is the caution to use 
but few of them. Exactness of execution and 
not variety of formation, or play, is the essen- 
tial. 

(4) If there is any fear as to the safety of 
the signals, have two men giving them, one of 
whom gives the bona fide and the other a fake 
signal. 

(5) It is best, perhaps, for a forward to give 
the signals because all the other men of the 
team can face him and so avoid having to make 
special efforts to see. 

FUNDAMENTALS OF OFFENSE 

All tip-off plays should be so designed that 
the men are left in a strong defensive position 
should the ball be secured by the opponents. 
So little confidence can be placed on securing 
the ball that at least two men should be in posi- 
tion to protect the goal in case of need. 

Sending several men up towards the basket, 
on offense, before the ball has been secured, 
is emphasizing attack too strongly. Keep the 
o:ffensive men, with the possible exception of 



122 BASKET BALL 

one, who may dash up to basket, close to the 
tip-off. If it is secured then the attack may 
spread out with comparative safety. If the 
ball is lost the men are left in position to as- 
sume a close defense. 

The basis for a successful otfense is skill 
^vith the pass. The men must be able to pass 
quickly and accurately, and to that end suffi- 
cient practice must be directed. After that em- 
phasize the stops and turns, and shooting-. It 
has been my principle that almost anyone can 
make a basket if the ball is brought close to the 
goal — therefore I spend much time on passing 
and floor work, and less on shooting practice. 

Having secured the tip-off there are several 
fundamentals in attack to be observed : First, 
the hreah, the quick realization that it is their 
ball and that all five men are on offense. This 
is one of the hardest features of attack to se- 
cure. 

Some men find it is almost impossible to real- 
ize instantaneously when it is their ball, and 
when to lose the man they have been sticking 
so close to, while on defense. All good scoring 
teams have a quick break from defense to 
offense, and all good defensive teams have a 
lightning like shift from attack to defense, 
while championship teams have both. A great 



OFFENSE — TEAM METHODS 123 

deal of time should be devoted to the develop- 
ment of a quick break. 

Next, the offensive trio, the forwards and the 
center, must be taught to advance towards the 
goal, after making a pass to a teammate. The 
duty of the offensive line, the above mentioned 
three, is primarily to press on towards the goal, 
therefore, after a pass, they should bore ahead. 
So often one sees forwards and centers engaged 
in backward passing which results in an actual 
loss of ground, even though the men retain pos- 
session of the ball. I do not criticise a back- 
ward pass to a trailer, or to a guard when the 
offense can go no further forward, but it should 
be a principle of attack to drive the forwards 
and center towards the basket after each pass 
whether it is made forward or backward. This 
is the most successful method, in the short pass- 
ing attack. By keeping the guards always be- 
hind the ball the danger of a weak defense is 
obviated. Anyway, defense should nearly al- 
ways be secondary to offense, for a team must 
score to win. 

Third, the offensive three should have mas- 
tered the dribble so that a short, sharp drive 
to basket can be made when opportunity pre- 
sents. This dribble should be employed by the 



124 BASKET BALL 

offensive three in the scoring area only and 
should be about from 6 to 15 feet long, as a 
rule, and shonld either carry the man to the 
basket in that length, or be stopped and the 
ball passed. It is a mistake to allow long, 
winding dribbles, in offensive territory. It is 
also a mistake to forbid all dribbling, for the 
play will often carry the man with the ball into 
a better position from which to throw. It is 
the coach's function to teach the proper and to 
eliminate the improper use of the dribble. It 
is difficult to prevent the men bouncing the 
ball once, after receiving it, Avhen they are per- 
mitted to dribble.- A single bounce is usually 
of no value and slows up the attack, so that it 
should be strictly eliminated. This tendency 
to bounce is rather difficult to eradicate and is 
one reason why many coaches forbid both the 
dribble and the boimce. In my own work I 
usually have a player trail and follow behind 
a dribbler so as to secure the ball on a back- 
ward pass when further progress of the ball is 
stopped. 

Fourth, if the men ahead of the ball are all 
guarded, so that the man with the ball can not 
pass to them, and if he is covered so that a 
dribble is impossible, the hack-pass is indicated. 



OFFENSE — TEAM METHODS 125 

The forward three should remain on a line 
with or ahead of the ball, while the gnard near- 
est the play should dash into the clear for the 
back pass. The guard should then pass the 
ball forward, if possible, or shoot, if in good 
position, or, finally, should dribble straight in 
towards goal. While the guard advances, the 
three forward men should be able to avoid the 
defense so that some one of them is clear for a 
pass. If the guard elects to shoot, he should 
first call **hike^', so as to give the advanced 
men a fraction more time in which to drive in 
to goal for the rebound than they would other- 
wise have. 

Fifth, all the men in the attack must heep 
moving fast, every second of the time the ball 
is in offense territory — and that means past 
the center of the floor. There is no need to 
work at top speed when in the backfield with 
the ball and when the opponents have their men 
well back and ivaiting, as in the five-man de- 
fense. It is better then, to hold the ball mo- 
mentarily, to give the offensive three time to 
locate near or past the defensive first line, and 
to permit the attacking team to gather itself 
for the dash up the floor. Once, however, the 
ball reaches center, the men must attack at top 



126 BASKET BALL 

Speed and nothing less. This change of pace 
has several values; it rests the attacking team 
somewhat, and then when the drive is applied, 
it has a confusing effect on the defense. 

This advice to slow up the attack applies 
only to situations wherein the defense is al- 
ready well ahead of the ball and is set await- 
ing the attack. When the two teams are mixed 
up in the scrimmage near goal following a shot, 
an opposite situation obtains. It is then to the 
advantage of the offensive team to launch its 
counter attack rapidly the moment possession 
of the ball is gained, even if this necessitates a 
sharp dribble up the floor, with all but the 
safety man advancing with a rush into oppon- 
ent territory. This quick hreak is a fundamen- 
tal in offense.. 

Sixth, there should be no ^'Jiope^' shots — 
either shoot from reasonable distance and with 
eye on the basket, or pass, or make a held ball 
of it; (very rarely the latter). Possession of 
the ball is the best defense known. Therefore 
a man should never deliberately give up pos- 
session, as when a forward, weir in advance of 
his team mates, shoots for goal from such dis- 
tance that neither he nor his mates can have 
fair chance to recover the rebound. A long 



OFrENSE — TEAM METHODS 127 

shot, with shooter and mates in position to gain 
the rebound, is often indicated, for it gives rea- 
sonable chance for success, but a long shot 
from the leading man of the attack is poor bas- 
ketball, as a miss results in the ball going to 
the opponents without chance for a rebound 
shot. 

Seventh, keep the offense out of the corners. 
It is easy to gain the corners with the ball, be- 
cause even the opponents aid in driving the 
attack there, if wise, but it is much more difficult 
to score from there. The corners and the side- 
lines are often the best defense units in the 
game. Work the ball up the middle or, at 
least, attempt to short pass it toward the bas- 
ket from the corner, rather than shoot from 
there. 

Eighth, meet the pass. Never permit the of- 
fense man who has located near the basket to 
wait for the pass. He should come in for it, 
that is, return in a straight line towards the 
pass. After securing it he may pass, or may 
use a stop and turn to reverse himself and 
again face the goal. Meeting the pass is a car- 
dinal principle. For one pass that is secured by 
a man dashing past the guards for a ball that 
leads him, five are intercepted. The lob-pass 



128 BASKET BALL 

over the heads of the guards to a man running 
away from it is practically valueless except in 
the unusual situation wherein the player near 
the basket is unguarded. This is a rarity in 
good basketball and should not be expected. 



CHAPTEE XII 

THE SELECTION OF PLAYS 

Floor Play 

1. The use of plays from center tip-off pre- 
supposes that the team signalling can control 
the hall on the jump and has men capable of 
dashing in and securing the ball. One often 
sees good jumping at center nullified by the 
mediocre work of the man to whom the ball is 
tipped. The latter should be taught to go in 
hard and high for the ball. A great deal de- 
pends upon the correct timing of the dash by 
the forwards and much time should be given 
to this practice. It is better for a forward to 
line up well inside of his opponent, so as to 
force the latter outward on the dash for the 
baU. 

2. If the team is not adept at securing the 
hall at center it is better to do away with tip- 
oif formations altogether and to line up in the 
unbalanced formation with three men back of 
center, make a tight defense of it, and trust to 
obtaining the ball from scrimmage. 

3. If the team has a weak center jumper, but 



130 BASKET BALL 

has rugged, good jumping forwards who are 
adept at securing the ball from tip-oif, a good 
plan is to discard all signal plays from center 
and to use a well organized -floor play, which 
A¥orks on either side of the floor equally well, 
and almost as well when the opposing center 
has the jump as when one's own center con- 
trols the ball. 

Not only is this play worked from center tip- 
otf, but also from scrimmage anywhere on the 
floor, and especially so when the ball is secured 
in the backfield after a missed shot by the op- 
ponents. The floor play is the basis of one's 
attack, and should be practiced from all pos- 
sible locations on the floor. It is worked, from 
tip-off, as follows. 

FLOOE PLAY 

(Mixed Pass, Center Back, Attack) 

Diagrams 22, 23, 24, 24A 

The forwards line up regularly, a little closer 
to the mid line of the court than usual, and 
stand facing their own team guards. On tip-off 
each dashes straight in on his own side (dia- 
gram 22B). The one on the side of the tip-oif 
must jump hard and high so as to slap the ball. 



FLOOR PLAY 131 

OFFENSE— MIXED PASS FLOOR PLAY (FROM TIP-OFF) 




DIAGRAM 22 

No. 1, L. F.; Na. 2, R. F.; No. 3, C; No. It, Offensive Guard; 

No. 5, Defensive Guard. 



132 BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE—MIXED PASS FLOOR PLAY (FROM TIP-OFF) 




DIAGRAM 23 (Continued) 



FLOOR PLAY 133 

OFFENSE— MIXED PASS FLOOR PLAN (FROM TIP-OFF) 




DIAGRAM 24 (Continued) 



134 



BASKET BALL 




DIAGRAM 24A — The Complete Play in One Diagram— Opposite Side 
a. Stop and front-turn; b. Tip-off to 2; c. Slap to guard, 5; d, Long, 
overhand pass to center, 3. Center may pass to 1, 2, 5 or may reverse 
and shoot or dribble. 



FLOOR PLAY 135 

The other drives straight on back of center into 
defense territory (diagram 22c). Both for- 
wards always go in similarly on every tip-o"ff. 
The guards stay back, in position, and do not 
advance for the tip-off unless it is slapped back 
towards them. 

When the tip-off is to the side, the forward 
facing it, driving in on a straight line, jumps 
high and slaps the ball to the guard facing him, 
(diagram 22a). The other forward, dashing 
straight on towards guard territory, now uses 
his stop-turn, reverses direction, and comes 
back hard into the offense (23c). He must shift 
from defense to offense immediately when his 
teammates have secured the ball. Usually the 
guard on the side of the tip-off secures the ball 
on a slap pass from the forward opposite him, 
and so the floor plays usually begin in defense 
territory. 

The center always leaves the center circle on 
the side opposite the tip-off, (diagram 22d), and 
dashes towards the basket to a position that en- 
ables him to change direction and cofne hack to 
meet the pass. 

The pass is usually from guard to center, and 
should reach the latter either at the free shot 
line or at a point about ten feet from end and 
side lines, (diagram 23f ), altho the pass can also 



136 BASKET BALL 

be made to the forwards, if the center is not 
free. 

The two forwards dash towards the basket, 
when their team secures the ball, and each criss- 
crosses so as to reach the opposite side of the 
court as they go up, (diagram 23b and c). The 
center reverses his direction just as the pass is 
made to him and comes in fast for it, (diagram 
23f). After catching the pass, usually a high, 
line, overhand one, the center jumps to a stop 
and front-turn and reverses so as to again face 
the basket (diagram 24e). He can then shoot; 
dribble and shoot, (diagram 24d) ; pass to the 
forwards, who should be crossing the court as 
the pass is caught, so that one is in front of 
and the other behind him, (diagram 24a, b) ; or 
pass back to, the guard, (diagram 24c), who 
should be coming up the middle of the floor 
and about 10 feet behind the center, (diagram 
23d and 24c). The center must be ready to use 
the short, under hand pass, to the forward in 
front of him, the overhand hook to the for- 
ward, or guard, behind him, or, if these men 
are close to and facing the center when he first 
receives the long pass, the latter can shove or 
bounce pass to these men before making his- 
stop and turn. In this case the center drives 
in for rebounds following his pass. The guard 



FLOOR PLAY 137 

MIXED PASS, FLOOR PLAY VARIATION 




DIAGRAM 25 — Forward dribbles, guard trails to receive pivot-pass. 



138 ^ BASKET BALL 

often shoots from the position in which he re- 
ceives the back pass, or he may dribble in for a 
short shot, or pass to the forwards. The for- 
ward who slaps the tip-off is usually, tho not 
always, the one to cross in front of the center 
and the opposite forward criss-crosses behind 
the center. 

Variation of the Floor Play — Occasionally, 
the forward is able to catch the tip-off instead 
of batting it to the guard (diagram 25). In this 
case he jumps with the ball to a stop, front- 
turn, towards the side lines, and can then pass 
to center, or to the other forward, or he can 
dribble up the side line (c). In the latter case he 
is always followed closely by his floor guard, as 
a trailer (d), and pivots and passes back to the 
latter (f), when blocked by a guard (e). The 
only other difference from the regular play, is 
that the guard in the variation play goes up 
behind the dribbling forward instead of in the 
middle of the floor. 

These two ways of executing the floor play, 
when played on both sides, really give four 
basal forms of attack, and that is all that any 
college or high school team can well master. 

The play outlined has been used in Confer- 
ence competition for years, has given good re- 



FLOOR PLAY 139 

suits, and is recommended as a basal formation 
both at tip off and from scrimmage. Practice 
the play at first from tip-off and then from vari- 
ous positions on the floor as tho the ball had 
been gained in scrinunage. Set plays have to 
be modified somewhat, in actual scrimmage, 
owing to the varying locations of the ball and 
the men, but the fundamental principles of the 
play, the forwards criss-crossing, the center up 
to goal and then bach in for the pass, and the 
guard backing up the ball, are always retained. 
As a result, the man with the ball always has an 
approximate idea of the location of the entire 
personnel of the team, at any given moment 
of the attack. He is thus enabled to locate men 
to pass to, with readiness. Any plan, no matter 
how modified, is better than no plan, in these 
respects. 

A team wdth a good fundamental plan of at- 
tack is one which will improve as the season 
progresses, for the men steadily learn to adapt 
the floor plan more quickly and better to altered 
floor situations, and with perfection of detail 
will come a successful attack. 

The types of pass best used in the floor play 
are (1) the long, overhand, line pass from the 
backfield towards basket; (2) the short, under- 
hand, pass between the forwards, and (3) either 



140 BASKET BALL 

this, or the bounce, or shove, pass from center 
to team mates near the basket, with an occa- 
sional hook pass. 

If the floor play is executed ■v\dth snap and 
accuracy, it matters very little whether the op- 
ponents know what is being attempted or not. 
If they cover, or block, the center, the guard can 
then pass to the forwards instead. The latter 
cross, as before, and pass to each other until 
an opportunity arrives to snap the ball to the 
center, coming in, or they may themselves carry 
the ball into scoring area for a shot. No play is 
of value which has but one possible route for 
the ball to take; this play involves four men, 
all of whom may shoot. 

Explanation, Floor Play Diagrams: 
No. 22 — (a) -Shows course of tip-off and first 
pass, to guard, 1 to 4. 

(b) Course of Forwards, straight in. 

(c) Course of K F. deep into defense. 

(d) Course of Center up to basket. 

23 — Continuation of play shown in 22. Second 
position of men. 

(a) Long pass from guard to the Center, 

near goal, 4 to 3. 

(b) L. F. criss-crossing behind the Center. 

(c) R. F. criss-crossing in front of the 

Center. 



FLOOR PLAY 141 

(d) Gruard backing up the play. 
(5) Defensive guard in backfield. 
(Continued. Third position of men. 

(a) Center may hook-pass to L. F., No. 1. 

(b) Center may under-hand pass to R. F., 

No. 2, in front. 

(c) Center may underhand-pass to Guard, 

No. 4. 

(d) Center may stop-turn to face goal, 

dribble and shoot. 
24A — The complete play, diagrammed, combin- 
ing 22, 23, 24. Opposite side. 

Explanation, diagram 25 — ^A^ariation of previ- 
ous play. 

(a) Tip off to L. F. 

(b) Stop-front turn, L. F. 

(c) Dribble. 

(d) Course of guard, trailing L. F. 

(e) Opponent Guard, blocking dribble of 

L. F. 

(f ) stop, reverse-turn and pass, to trailer. 

The guard may now shoot, dribble in and 
shoot, or pass forward to C. and R. F., or hook 
pass overhead to L. F. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE SHORT-PASS, PIVOT-PASS, 
FLOOR PLAY 

This particular systematization of the short 
passing attack, with the pivot usually preced- 
ing a bounce, shove or underhand pass, I orig- 
inated in Baltimore and have used, with slight 
variations and combined with a five man de- 
fense, in all my conference seasons. It is now 
quite commonly in use, but was new to the 
Western Conference in 1911, and to the Mis- 
souri Conference in 1918, and met with great 
success, as reference to those seasons' records 
shows. 

This style of game is fundamentally sound 
in that it throws two forwards, the center and 
one guard into every attack, while keeping the 
men so concentrated and close to the ball that 
a good 5 man defense position can be readily 
assumed when the ball is lost. The chief point, 
in this offense, is to retain possession of the 
ball until a point-blank shot is obtained. No 
long, **hope'', shots are attempted, and the ball 

142 



SHORT-PASS, PIVOT-PASS, FLOOR PLAY 143 

is passed, backwards if necessary and then for- 
ward again, until a fairly close-in shot is pos- 
sible. 

This offense is only possible with a group 
of men sMlled in the fundamentals of the game 
and who can pass and pivot especially well. It 
cannot be learned in as short a period of time 
as the plan of attack just described as the 
'* Mixed Pass, Centerback, Floor Play", and 
should not be attempted without a compara- 
tively long season of preliminary training. 
However, there are no good reasons for a short 
training season and very many good ones for a 
long one, from the standpoint of physical devel- 
opment, of conditioning for play, and of the ac- 
quirement of fine technique and team work. 

The pivot and short-pass attack is a floor- 
play that resembles the mixed-pass play, last 
described, in many particulars. It throws all but 
one man actively into each offense, one player 
remaining back of center for defense purposes 
at all times, tho not necessarily the same man. 
With one guard back, the other advances on at- 
tack, usually behind the ball and behind the 
three offensive men, the two forwards and cen- 
ter. This guard is given the backward passes, 
when the offensive three can no longer pass 
with certainty to each other. On receipt of the 



144 BASKET BALL 

ball the guard may (1) pass ahead, (2) dribble 
and pass, or (3) shoot. At all times he is pri- 
marily a defensive man and only secondarily a 
scorer. He should be fast, rugged and a splen- 
did passer and pivoter. Height and weight con- 
siderations are secondary to speed and ability 
to handle the ball, altho a good big man is usu- 
ally to be preferred to a good little one, in this 
position. 

The forwards and center all function simi- 
larly and should be passed to, and should shoot, 
as the opening presents, tho a star shot may be 
fed the final pass when near goal. This is not 
the better plan, however. 

The three offense men always advance after 
making a pass, crossing the floor from side to 
side, in straight lines, and finally reaching the 
area close to the basket in such a manner that 
one is on the left, one on the right and one in 
front of it, while behind all three is the floor 
guard, backing up the play. 

A number of principles are followed abso- 
lutely in the pivot-pass attack; (1) Do not hold 
the ball — pass quickly; (2) pass ahead if at all 
possible and if not, pivot and back-pass ; (3) use 
the bounce, shove and underhand passes almost 
entirely; (4) after passing ahead, cut behind 
and then run ahead of the man passed to ; (5) 



SHORT-PASS, PIVOT-PASS, FLOOR PLAY 145 

PIVOT-PASS, SHORT-PASS, FLOOR PLAY 




DIAGRAM 26 — Passer goes behind and ahead of man passed to. 
No. 4, trailer, follows the ball awaiting back pass. 1 and 2, for- 
wards, 3, center; 4 and 5, guards. 



146 BASKET BALL 

run from side to side, instead of up and down 
the court, that is, criss-cross; (6) always be in 
motion when receiving and passing the ball; 
(7) meet the pass; (8) after passing, dash fast 
behind your team mate and toward the side 
lines. 

When the ball is gained during a scrimmage, 
all 5 men close in so as to be within ten to 
twenty feet of it. If picked up by a guard, the 
forwards and center dash ahead and spread out 
in a line across the floor, about ten feet apart, 
and ten feet ahead of the ball, (diagram 26 — 
1, 2, 3). The ball then goes from guard to of- 
fense man, (diagram 26 — 4 to 3), and the guard 
then establishes himself back of the line of 
three, in position to back up the attack and to 
receive a back-pass when further progress of 
the ball among the offense men is impossible, 
(No. 4). 

When the offense men secure the ball it is 
passed forward to a team mate. The latter is 
usually criss-crossing in front of the ball. If a 
guard attacks the man receiving the pass, the 
latter pivots, turns his back to the guard, and 
passes backward to the man crossing behind 
him or to his own guard, the trailer. The man 
not occupied in the passing goes ahead so as to 



SHORT-PASS, PIVOT-PASS, FLOOR PLAY 147 

be available for the next pass forward, and is 
ready to step in for the ball as it comes to him. 
The way to practice this floor play is to form 
the three offensive men in line across the floor, 
as in diagram 26, figures 1, 2, and 3, and the 
two defensive men behind, figures 4 and 5, as 
tho the ball had been secured thus, in scrim- 
mage. The diagram shows the first pass, in this 
case, to No. 3. After practice without opposition 
place three men on defense across the floor and 
drill the attack in going thru. Walk thru the 
movements repeatedly. Keep the passes short 
and the men close together. The man not in the 
play, when two men are passing the ball to- 
gether, runs ahead so as to be available for the 
next pass. 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE LONG-SHOT, AND THE LONG-PASS, 
ATTACKS 

Should the opponent's five man defense prove 
impregnable to the floor plays outlined, a shift 
to an entirely different attack may bring good 
results, at least for a time, and then the favor- 
ite floor plays may be resumed and will often 
be found to work more successfully than before 
the change. 

The usual change is from a short-pass, short- 
shot, to a long-pass, long-shot, style. A good 
long-shot attack against a tight, five man de- 
fense, is as follows: 

First, allow the defense to become estab- 
lished, the offensive team holding the ball in 
the backfield. The two tallest, or best, re- 
bound men are sent through the defense, one 
close to each side line, to a point from 10 to 15 
feet from the end line. The third offense man 
goes down the center of the floor and well past 
the center circle. The man in the backfield 

148 



LONG-SHOT — LONG-PASS ATTACKS 149 

ALTERNATE LONG-SHOT AND LONG-PASS ATTACK 



^ 




i 


X ;'. xj 


\ 


/ '"-y 


x\ 


V /x : X 






i 




• 







DIAGRAM 27 — X, Opponent's defense; A, Long shot; B, Dribble to 
defense line. 



150 BASKET BALL 

ALTERNATE LONG-SHOT AND LONG-PASS ATTACK 




DIAGRAM 28 — 2-5, Up sides to corners and in for pass; A, Long 
pass; C-B, Shove or bounce pass to oncoming C. and G.; D, Instead 
of pass, 1 may pivot and shoot, dribble, or pass to 3. 



LONG-SHOT — LONG-PASS ATTACKS 151 

mth the ball now advances it, by pass or drib- 
ble, to the first line of the opponents defense 
and then lifts a long, high, loop-shot, at the 
basket. The three advanced men and one 
guard drive in hard for the rebonnd. Diagram 
27. Following a trial or two with the long- 
shot play try an alternate attack, the long-pass^ 
and to do so carry the play through, as before, 
up to the time of shooting. From here on, the 
plays differ. Fake as though to shoot long as 
before, and then, instead, snap off a long for- 
ward hook-pass to the corner. The team mate 
in the corner comes hackj hard and high, to 
meet the pass. The center and the guard fol- 
low the long-pass in towards the corner man. 
The latter meets the pass, and shoves or else 
bounce-passes, to either the center or guard, 
who may dribble in and shoot, or else snap a 
pass to the opposite corner man, who has re- 
mained in his position while the play was on 
the other side of the floor. This corner man 
repeats the play, coming in for the pass and 
snapping it back to the center man driving 
down mid court, or to the guard, who drives in 
facing him. This attack throws four men 
into scoring territory and in a good position 
for rebounds, and, in addition, gives a chance 
for a score by the long shot. Diagram 28. 



152 BASKET BALL 

When the long-pass play is alternated with 
the long-shot attack, it often results in a clean, 
close-in shot, through a defense that has pre- 
viously withstood both long-shot, and short- 
pass, attacks. The finesse with which the long- 
shot is apparently about to be attempted, only 
to be converted suddenly into a swift hook-pass 
forward, with all the unengaged men driving 
towards the ball, is the main factor in this at- 
tack. 

The long-shot play requires rugged, fast, 
driving men, for the long-shot is usually missed 
and the main reliance has to be placed upon the 
close-in work on the rebound. Neither play is 
sufficient in itself; they should be alternated. 
These two plays are especially valuable when 
the team is behind and the time nearly up, for 
they both carry the ball into scoring territory 
with rapidity. In this situation it is well to 
draw even the back guard up close to center to 
help on a possible loose ball. There are times 
when a defense is useless and when only a suc- 
cessful offense can pull the game out of the lost 
column. 



CHAPTER XV 
OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 

With the new rules in force which give the 
ball to the opponents out of bounds, on certain 
fouls, the out-of-bounds plays will be more than 
ever valuable. There were, even under the old 
rules, about twice as many out-of-bounds as 
tip-oif plays in the average game, and of these 
two-thirds were on the side lines. The relative 
importance of out-of-bounds and tip-off plays 
can be judged somewhat from this. 

For use on the defensive end line, a safe and 
fast method of getting the ball out of danger- 
ous territory with one pass, is about all that is 
usually sought. From the side center, the play 
is usually designed to bring the ball into scor- 
ing area, with the use of one or several passes. 
From the offense end line, a one-pass scoring 
play is usually attempted. This gives three 
types of out-of-bounds plays, examples of 
which are described. 

Principles — On the whole, the success of an 
out-of-bounds play depends upon the speed with 

153 



154 BASKET BALL 

which it is initiated. The ball should be got- 
ten underway on offense, before the defense 
has set. When the ball rolls over the line, the 
men on the team apparently coming into pos- 
session should dash for position so that the 
play can start the moment the hall is raised 
from the floor. This is a major point in out- 
of-bounds attack. If the referee's decision 
gives possession to the other team after one 
team has secured it, by mistake, and has also 
gained offense positions, the player with the 
ball should drop it on the ground out of the 
immediate reach of the near opponent, or else 
roll it to the referee. By the time the latter 
has picked it up and passed it to the proper 
player, the defense should have formed and the 
mistake will have been corrected. 

The man out of bounds with the ball must 
use finesse in getting it into play, and must not 
acquaint the defense with his intent, by any 
action of eye or limb. Following the pass, he 
should drive into the court to participate in the 
play or to follow up, and should not loiter. 
Above all, he should see that the pass carries 
as intended. The bounce-pass is at its best 
when used from out-of-bounds, following a 
feint to throw high, and is especially valuable 
close to goal. 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 



END-LINE PLAYS FOR GOAL 





S ♦ c 




\ 


4 


\ 


A 



DIAGRAM 29— Front-Cross Play. 



156 



BASKET BALL 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS— END-LINE PLAYS FOR GOAL 



a 

1 


\ 


." 


\ 




A 



DIAGRAM 30— Side-Cross Play, with Block (legal). 
B, Starts first, crosses in front of X, opponent guard; C. Crosses 
behind B, and pockets X out of play; D, May go up center or in 
right comer. 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 157 

It is not well to have a great variety of out- 
of-boTinds formations, for so little time is per- 
mitted that they are almost sure to result in 
confusion. One formation for each end of the 
court, with two plays possible from it and with 
three men available to pass to in each, is all 
that is required. 

End Line Plays at Own Goal — ^A good funda- 
mental play for all the out-of-bounds work in 
offense territory is the criss-cross. In this 
two players line up ten feet in front of, and 
facing, the man with the ball, and about five 
feet to the right and left of him, respectively; 
(diagrams 29 and 30, b and c). The third man 
faces the ball and is about thirty feet away, 
(d). From this same formation two plays can 
be worked, the Front Criss-Cross, (diagram 
29), and the Side Criss-Cross and Block (legal), 
(diagram 30). 

Front Criss-Cross Play, No. 29 — ^When the 
player with the ball faces the field, the two for- 
ward men dash forward and towards each 
other, crossing in the mid-line. This often 
causes a crashing together of the guards and a 
momentary freeing of one or both of the for- 
ward men. The pass is made to the free man, 
or, there being no good opportunity, it is 



158 BASKET BALL 

thrown straight forward to the guard (d) who 
dashes in to receive it. If blocked, the latter 
pivots free, and shoots, or passes. 

Side Criss-Oross, No. 30 — From the same 
locations, the (b) and (c) men dash straight 
across, parallel to the end line, and towards 
each other. The inside man (c), crosses behind 
his mate (b), and then turns in towards the 
ball. If (b) is free he receives the pass, in 
preference; if not, and nsnally, (c) gets the 
pass going towards the side line, (c) now 
Jiooh-passes overhead to (a), in the court, or 
to (b) or (d), or more rarely, stop-turns for a 
dribble or shot. 

Out of Bounds Plays, Defense Area. (Dia- 
grams 31 and 32). The defensive guard (E), 
always takes the ball when out of bounds in 
defense territory. The oiffensive guard (D), 
stands 15 feet out from the ball and usually 
receives the pass. He may then pass imme- 
diately, or may dribble close to the defense be- 
fore passing. The center and forwards, (A, B, 
and C), line up at or beyond center, in triangle 
formation. In play No. 31, the pass is from 
(E) to (D). (D) passes immediately, or else 
dribbles to the opponent guard and then passes 
to (A), who goes up along the side line and then 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 159 

PLAYS FROM DEFENSIVE END LINE 



Z 




DIAGRAM 31 — Passes — E to D. D to A. A may shove or bounce 
pass to C or Z? or hook pass to B. A may reverse-turn, at A2, and 
dribble in, or shoot, instead of passing. D follows his pass up the 
floor. A, B, C, all dash toward E and then reverse up the floor. 



160 



BASKET BALL 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS— PLAYS FROM DEFENSIVE END 
LINE 




DIAGRAM 32— Passes— -£ to D. D to C. C may reverse-turn at 
C2 for a dribble or shot, or may shove or bounce pass to A, B, 
or D. 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 



161 




DIAGRAM 33— Side Line Play 
Passes—/! to C. A to D. A to B. 



162 



BASKET BALL 

OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 




DIAGRAM 34— Side Line Play 

Passes— JS to D. D to A2, As to C, B, or D, or may reverse-turn 

for dribble or shot. 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 163 

r 




DIAGRAM 35 — Formation and play as in 29 but with rear guard up 
to basket on opposite side. Pass may go three ways. 



164 



BASKET BALL 

OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 




DIAGRAM 



-C and B criss-cross, in line between ball and D2. 
Pass may go to C, B or D. 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 



165 




DIAGRAM 37 — Two Plays from Formation 37 
(1) A, B, and C come in toward ball and each may receive pass 
from E, coming in. (2) A, B. and C come in toward ball. E passes, 
instead, to D. A, B, and C now reverse toward goal. All three are 
available for long pass towards goal. This works well following No. 
1, where guards follow men closely. 



166 BASKET BALL 

dashes back to meet the pass, (A2). (D) fol- 
lows the pass. A2 slaps the pass to (C) or (D) 
or passes to (B). 

In play No. 32, the ball goes to (D), and then 
to (C). C goes up toward goal and then back 
to meet the pass. The forwards, located nearer 
center than (C), also dash toward goal and 
return toward the ball. This gives 3 men driv- 
ing toward goal, the center in the lead, and 
then reversing and coming in toAvard the ball. 
The guard, (D), passes to the oncoming offense 
men, preferably to the man in the middle, who 
shove-passes, or bounce-passes to the forwards, 
who are one on either side of him. 

Side Line Plays — In play No. 33, in scoring 
territory, the aim is to secure a shot from the 
pass in. Locate the two offense men (B and C), 
10 feet from and 5 feet to the side of, the ball, 
as in the end line plays. These men criss-cross 
towards the side line in an effort to shake their 
guards, and the running guard (D), dashes up 
to a point opposite the ball and on the other 
side of the court. The pass goes from out-of- 
bounds to (C), (D), and (B), in that order of 
preference, respectively. 

In Side Line play No. 34, the formation is 
similar to play No. 31, from the rear end line, 



OUT-OF-BOUNDS PLAYS 167 

in that a forward first comes in, then reverses 
towards the side line, dashes toward basket 
and conies back to meet the pass. The for- 
ward on the same side takes the pass in the end 
line play. The forward on the opposite side 
takes the pass in the side line play. This 
varies the play sufficiently. The floor guard 
follows the pass, which may occasionally go 
direct from out-of-bonnds to the forward, (E 
to A), though usually the pass is from (E) to 
(D) to (A). From (A2) the play works simi- 
larly to the others, in that a shove, or a bounce, 
pass to the center, the forward, or the floor 
guard, all coming in toward the ball, is made. 
From then on the floor play is employed, if 
further advance is required for a shot. 



CHAPTER XVI 
PLAiYS FROM FOUL SHOT POSITION 

Plays after a missed foul shot should be of 
the simplest character, for the ball is attacked 
too savagely and by too many hands, to permit 
of much certainty in securing it. 

If possible, locate the two tallest men at the 
junction of the end and foul lines, one on either 
side, another man midway between the free 
throw and center circles, in offense territory, 
and the fifth man well behind center circle, on 
defense (diagram 38). This gives a good posi- 
tion for both offensive and defensive play. 

When the free shot is missed the tall men at 
basket may (1) slap the ball in, or better un- 
less the men are very good jumpers, ma}^ (2) 
tip the ball backward, overhead, towards the 
side line. The shooter hesitates at the foul 
mark until he sees on which side of the basket 
the missed ball will drop and then cuts behind 
his team mate at the basket, on that side. The 
shooter should secure the over head slap for a 
shot or pass. With a tall, strong, free shooter, 

168 



PLAYS FROM FOUL SHOT POSITION 169 

POSITION OF TEAM SHOOTING FREE THROW 




DIAGRAM 38 



170 BASKET BALL 

POSITION OF TEAM SHOOTING FREE THROW 




DIAGRAM 39 



PLAYS FROM FOUL SHOT POSITION 171 

the (3) slap made directly back to the shooter, 
driving in to goal, is effective. A formation 
that gives good results with tall rugged play- 
ers, is to (4) line the two big men at the free 
throw circle, about opposite the free throw 
mark, instead of at the end line. These men 
dash straight in for the rebound, either for a 
rebound shot, or for the overhead slap to the 
shooter as before. The rebound men can get 
a better drive and jump from this location than 
from under the basket, (diagram 39). 

PLAYS FEOM JUMP BALL IN 
SCRIMMAGE 

After a held ball, from scrimmage, first one 
and then another player must jump off. 
There being no way of judging the ability of 
the jumper in time to set for a tip-off play, it 
is a good plan to always go into a formation 
as for the Floor Play, or for the unbalanced 
defence, triangle formation. No signal is then 
needed and the team is well located for either 
offense or defense. 



CHAPTEE XVII 

DESCEIPTION, TIP-OFF PLAYS NOS. 
40 TO 53 

Diagram 

40— Short-Pass Play— 3 (Center) to 2 (R 
F. ) . 2 to 1 (L. F. ) or 3, or, if forward 
progress blocked, to 4, behind. 3, 1, 2, 
come np to goal for rebound, in order 
named. 

41— Hook-Pass Play— 3 to 2. 2 hook-passes 
backward, overhead, to 1 crossed over 
in corner. 2 may stop-turn to side 
lines and dribble (A), or pass to 1, 3, 
or 4, instead. 1 hooks to 3, 2 or 4. 
4 up opposite the play. 4, 3, 1, to goal 
in that order. 

42— Forwards Criss-Cross— 3 to 1 crossed 
over. 1 to 3 or 5. 

43— Pivot and Short-Pass Attack— 3 to 2. 
1 stops behind opposing center, X, but 
without making contact. 3 cuts 
around X and 1. 2 to 3. 2 reverse- 
turn and forward (A). 3 to 2. 3 cuts 
behind 2. 2 pivot-pass to 3. 3 to 1. 

172 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 173 

1 to 2. 5 follows play for a back pass. 
Following the first pass 2 to 3, 2 may 
cut to center and behind 3. See alter- 
nate play, No. 45. 

44— Forward to Guard Up— 3 to 2. 2 to 4 
at basket, or to 3, 3 to 4. 1 stop-turn 
out and then to center. 2 and 3 fol- 
low the pass. 1 goes down on de- 
fense if tip-off is lost. 

45 — Pivot and Short-Pass Attack — 3 to 2. 
1 stops back of center. 3 cuts behind 
opponent X, and 1. 2 to 3. 3 to 1. 
1 to 2 or 3 or, if covered, to 5. 5 trails 
the play. 

46— Forward to Guard Up— 3 to 2. 2 Hook- 
pass to 5 at basket. 3 up on side op- 
posite 5. 1 down to replace 4. 4 re- 
places 5 on defense. 2 goes up mid- 
line and is third man in for rebound. 

47 — Guard Dribble — 3 tips back to 5. 5 
dribbles straight to basket. If 
stopped, pivot-passes to 2. 2 dashes 
down to center circle and dose to 
side line, stop-turns and reverses 
when 5 gains tip-oif and trails 5 for 
back-pass, or for rebound — is second 
man in and center is third. 1 shifts 
with 4 and 4 with 5, on defense. 



174 BASKET BALL 

48 — Guard Cross, Long-Pass — 3 tips to 4 
crossed over. 3 up, away from tip- 
off and back in to meet the pass. 1 
and 2 dash for tip-off and stop-front- 
turn (B), toward sidelines and up 
toward basket. 4 passes to 3 prefer- 
ably and if not, to 1 or 2. 3 stop-turns 
for dribble or shot (A), or may drib- 
ble or pivot-pass to 1 or 2 or back to 
4. 4 follows his pass up the floor. 1 
or 2 cuts behind 3 for pivot-pass (D). 

49 — Guard Cross, Forward Criss-cross — 3 to 
4 crossed over. 1 and 2 criss-cross 
near basket and 4 long passes to free 
man. 3 may go up, in mid line, if 
play is safe, and if not may first drop 
back to take 4's man. 1 may dribble 
or pass to 2 or 4. 

DESCRIPTION, TIP-OFF PLAYS FROM 
UNBALANCED FORMATION 

50 — Triangle Formation — 3 tips back to 2. 1 
dashes toward tip-off, then reverses 
and up toward basket. 2 slap, or 
push pass to 1 coming in, or overhead 
pass to 1, 3 or 4 going to basket. 2 
trails the play. 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 175 

51 — Triangle formation — 3 tips to 2 crossed 
over. 2 dribbles (A) and may slioot, 
or pass to 1, or pivot-pass (B) to 4, 
who trails. 5 takes 4^s man and 3 
covers L. Gr. position. 

52 — 3 to 1. 1 slap or pnsh pass to 2. 1 may, 
instead, stop-tnrn out (A) with ball 
(B). From (B) pass to 3 or 4. 

53 — L Formation — 3 tips back to 2. 2 to 1, 
crossed over. 1 pivot and back-pass 
to 2, or front-turn and pass to 3 or 
4 ; or 2 may dribble or shoot. 4 trails 
until 1 secures the pass and then leads 
the ball. 



176 



BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 40— Short-Pass Play 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 177 

OFFENSE—PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 41— Hook-Pass Play 



178 



BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 42— Criss-Cross Play. 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 179 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 



i 1 




'V-. 


iT 


/ ^^*/^ 


\ 


Ju,;2jLh^ 


/ 


^^^^\£j / 


( 


w'/ 


7 

r 














a 
^ 


4i 







DIAGRAM 43— Pivot and Short Pass Attack. 



180 



BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 44 — Forward to Opposite Guard Up. 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 



181 




DIAGRAM 45— Pivot and Short-Pass Attack. 



182 BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




% 



DIAGRAM 46— Forward to Guard Up. 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 183 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 47— Guard Dribble. 



184 



BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 




DIAGRAM 48— See Description. 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM TIP-OFF 



185 




DIAGRAM 49 



186 BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM UNBALANCED FORMATION 




DIAGRAM 50 



TIP-OFF PLAYS 187 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM UNBALANCED FORMATION 




DIAGRAM 51 



188 BASKET BALL 

OFFENSE— PLAYS FROM UNBALANCED FORMATION 



^ 




DIAGRAM 52 



Tn^-OFF PLAYS 189 

OFFENSE—PLAYS FROM UNBALANCED FORMATION 




DIAGRAM 53— "L" Formation. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
COACHING GENERALITIES 

At the first meeting of the season the coach 
should outline his plans to the candidates, an- 
nounce the periods and time of practice, and 
such restrictions and observances as he will re- 
quire. He should explain how to care for the 
feet, and minor injuries, the need of weighing 
in and out carefully, the care and safeguard- 
ing of equipment, and the like. Following this 
talk he should expect and require regularity of 
attendance and punctuality. There should be 
no exception permitted in these respects unless 
for good cause, for nothing is more demoraliz- 
ing than to have men absent or arriving late. 
It betokens a lack of earnestness that bodes ill 
for the team. 

For the first practices have all the men en- 
gage in the same exercises regardless of the 
positions they are trying out for. There should 
be no differentiation of the squad until the 
fundamentals of the game have been acquired 
quite generally. 

190 



COACHING GENERALITIES 191 

Begin cutting the squad early. It is a mis- 
take to keep a large number of men in action, 
for it disperses the attentions of the coach and 
prevents the intensive development of the few, 
first line men. The problem is to develop five 
or seven good men, not twenty fair men. 

It takes courage and decision to cut the 
squad, for the coach fears that he may drop a 
man who would later have made good. Con- 
versely he will occasionally spend a world of 
time and effort on a man who develops just so 
far and then comes to a standstill, or even de- 
teriorates. Perhaps one of the biggest factors 
in coaching is ability to recognize quickly and 
mth certainty, qualities for or against the re- 
spective candidates. My own preference is for 
men who can handle the ball skilfully, receiving 
and passing it cleanly and with few blunders. 
I drop such men reluctantly and only after a 
very thorough trial. I prefer skill with the 
hands, to speed. 

Have no set standard as to height and weight 
for the various positions. On the whole, a small, 
fast man, makes the best running guard, espe- 
cially if he can shoot. The rear guard should be 
tall, heavy and rugged, but need not be clever 
with the ball, shiftiness and fight being more 
necessary requisites. Never sacrifice floor abil- 



192 BASKET BALL 

ity and ^^ wallop '^ for height and jump, in cen- 
ters. Control of the tip-off is worth from 7 to 
10 points per game — ^but is more than offset in 
lack of drive, poor defense, and inability to se- 
cure the ball in scrimmage, when tall, narrow 
chested, slender legged men, are used in center, 
primarily because their height enables them to 
secure the jump. The center is the drive wheel 
of the machine and should be a hard scrimmag- 
ing, all round player, especially good on de- 
fense. 

After studying the material, the type of game 
best suited to it should be adopted. For in- 
stance, tall, heavy men are adapted to the long 
overhand and shoulder pass game, with empha- 
sis on rebound shots and on defense; while 
small, light, fast men are especially adapted to 
the short-pass, close-shot system, with the em- 
phasis mostly on attack. The advantage of the 
tall heavy material is that it can be drilled to 
both styles of play and so may have a more 
varied attack than is possible with small men. 
However, if the men are big, the coach must 
expect only a slow development, both as to in- 
dividual and teach technique. They will require 
a deal more drilling than a light team, and, as 
well, can stand it better. Occasionally one gets 
material that can never be whipped into shape. 



COACHING GENERALITIES 193 

bnt is all that is available, and I know of no 
more discouraging situation. 

Balance the men so as to have a medium sized 
man at either end of the floor, for they are 
usually better at securing a loose ball than are 
large men, and the ball is gotten thru scrim- 
mage of tener than in any other manner. 

Program of Practice — The first few prac- 
tices should be restricted to simple exercises 
like shooting from easy distances, following in 
for rebounds, the dribble and short shot, and 
hook-passing practice. A few shots for goal, 
some trials at the hook-pass and a dribble and 
short shot, will enable a fair judgment to be 
passed in short order, as to candidate's neuro- 
muscular ability. In a doubtful case place the 
man in defense position, while the remainder 
of the squad shoot and pass, and so determine 
whether the candidate has natural defensive 
ability even tho not clever with the ball. 

A suggested program for the early practice 
periods includes (1) 20 minutes basket work, 
from in front, at first ; (2) twenty minutes work 
on the stop-turns, in both directions ; (3) twenty 
minutes practice on the hook, bounce, overhand 
and underhand passes, and then a ten minutes 
scrimmage. 



194 BASKET BALL 

As the season progresses and proficiency is 
gained, the time spent on passing can be shared 
with special drills on defense and the like. The 
time for scrimmage may also be lengthened 
somewhat — ^bnt here lies the chief danger in 
basket ball: overwork, staleness. Later on, 
lengthen the shooting practice to thirty minntes 
every period, in fnll season. 

For the first three weeks at least, scrimmages 
should last not more than ten minutes of the 
period. The heart must be developed by grad- 
ually increased amounts of work before long 
practices can be engaged in without harm. For 
this reason, a long season of preliminary train- 
ing, with the work taken easily, and with no 
scrimmage at all for several weeks, is advisable 
from the standpoint of the players' physical 
condition and development, as well as for the 
acquirement of technique. A long season, with 
the practice periods well spread, say two or 
three times a week from the middle of October, 
makes for a better acquaintance all round, and 
for the development of friendships and mutual 
confidence, that can find no place in the stress 
of a short season such as would follow the foot- 
ball season. A close personal relation between 
coach and players is one of the greatest re- 



COACHING GENERALITIES 195 

wards of the work and its greatest pleasure, 
and should be deliberately fostered. 

Watch the weight sheet, and when a player 
fails to regain by next day the weight lost in 
practice, ease np his work, and, if need be, 
lay him off entirely. A basket ball player 
should be ruddy and healthful in appearance ; 
too often they look like greyhounds. 

When the team is chosen, keep it intact, and 
work with out many changes of combinations. 
Locating each other, knowing what sort of 
passes to expect, and what methods to antici- 
pate, is a reflex process, and comes only with 
constant repetitions of play with the same team 
mates. Team work is usually injured by substi- 
tutions, and that fact offsets the advantage of 
fresh men. Of course, some extra men are nec- 
essary, for safety, but they rarely improve a 
tiring team. 

Teach the men to coach each other with the 
idea of being mutually helpful. Especially 
should the men behind the ball talk to the men 
ahead of them, calling ^^hike'^ for a rebound, 
^'shoot", '4ook out'V^^y I^a^'^ ^^your man", 
and so on. A winning team is usually a talking 
team, not the useless blatter of the base ball 



196 BASKET BALL 

player, but directions and advice from the man 
behind, to the man in, the scrimmage. 

The lighting should be the same for practice 
as for the regular games, and if the latter are 
held at night it is well to hold some of the prac- 
tices at the regular game hour. On the whole, 
afternoon practice is preferable because it ena- 
bles the men to eat heartily at regular meal 
time and also conserves time for study. 

If the team has played on Saturday, the 
practice period on Monday should be spent 
in part, in going over the events of the game. 
The coach should have his criticisms and sug- 
gestions well organized and ready, so that a 
full, free discussion of the weaknesses shown 
can be entered into. The opponent's style of 
play can be discussed and if it presents valu- 
able features can be tried out, if not in con- 
flict with the established play of the team. 

After a game, and especially after a trip and 
a series of games, the team work will need 
brushing up, so try out on the first practice 
both offensive and defensive play and get the 
team going smoothly again without opposi- 
tion. Make the period an easy one, and a good 
natured one, whether the game was won or lost, 
unless some especial need exists for more 
severe measures. 



COACHING GENERALITIES 197 

On Tuesday, scrimmage again begins, is long- 
est on Wednesday, the heavy day, and lightens 
again on Thursday. On Friday practice shoot- 
ing and plays, without opposition, and have a 
light workout only. 

On trips, make it a set rule that the men go 
and return as a party. Have it understood 
that what one does all will do. Allow no sight 
seeing trips unless under Coach's supervision 
and with all present. Allow no meals to be 
eaten away from the squad. Try to instill into 
the men the idea that the trip is strictly for 
the business of winning games, and that all 
personal desires at variance with that purpose 
must be silenced. Once the entire squad be- 
comes imbued with the ideal of giving 100 per 
cent of themselves to the task of winning, the 
problem of discipline, of condition, and of win- 
ning a fair share of games, is solved. The 
coach can establish that ideal, and almost any 
other right one that he wishes, if he himself is 
conscientious, fair, and enthusiastically for his 
team and school. 

When on a trip, the men should arise late on 
the morning of the game, breakfast, and then 
go out in a body for a short walk, or a visit to 
some near-by point of interest, and then back 
to hotel in time for luncheon. After the noon 



198 BASKET BALL 

meal all should go to their rooms untiltlie call 
for the pre-game meal, usually eaten at 5 :30, if 
the game is at 7:30 or 8 P. M. Two poached 
eggs, two pieces of toast, buttered, and a cup 
of weak tea, constitutes this meal, which is 
eaten more to prevent an uncomfortable feel- 
ing of hunger in the men, than from intent to 
provide energy for the game. The noon meal 
should be a moderate one, of plain foods, boiled 
or roasted, and without desserts. Breakfast 
can be of any of the usual menus. The coach 
should order all the meals. Lots of sleep, 
rather than prescribed dietaries, is basal to 
good condition. After the game a light meal 
should be eaten. 

During a game the coach should watch the 
first half of the game as a neutral. Note if the 
passing is being executed correctly, the offense 
positions being filled as taught, the defense cov- 
ering well or not, and, in general, try to be a 
cool critic for the first half at least. The team 
may be deviating ever so little from the fun- 
damentals of your play, and if recognized, the 
brief interval at half time will be sufficient in 
which to right the error. Eeversals from poor 
to good work in the second half are more apt 
to be due to the coach carefully analyzing his 
opponent's game, and adopting plans to beat 



COACHING GENERALITIES 199 

it, and to discovering and correcting Ms own 
team's faults, than to any sudden burst of spirit 
on the part of the men. It is of little use to tell 
the men to fight — tell them Jiotv to fight. Don't 
try to change the theory of your play between 
halves of a losing game — try to improve the 
execution. Watch your star, in particular, in a 
losing game, for the more brilliant he is the 
more he is apt to become erratic. 

Tournaments — High school coaches have a 
special problem in the conduct of their teams 
thru championship tournaments, at the close of 
their season. Often these are of several days' 
duration and require the successful teams to 
play a number of games on an elimination plan. 

If possible, it is well to arrive at the tourna- 
ment city the night before play begins, and to 
work out on the game court that night. If this 
cannot be done I believe it is better not to prac- 
tice on the floor, on the days of tournament play, 
except during the few minutes preceding the 
game. Tournaments are won by stamina, ability 
to play frequently, quite as much as by skill, 
and the boys should be resting practically all 
the time not spent in actual competition. The 
jam and bustle at the gym, with the time lost 
in the dressing room, the effect of repeated 
baths, and the fatigue induced by the practices. 



200 BASKET BALL 

affect a team detrimentally and more than off- 
set the advantage gained by practicing on the 
game floor. Furthermore, lighting and other 
conditions are affected by the crowds present 
at the contests and as the practice is before 
empty seats no special advantage accrues to it. 

During these two and three day tournaments 
great care should be exercised to see that the 
boys do not over eat. The change of food fre- 
quently stimulates the players' appetites, and 
as they are getting it without cost to them- 
selves, they frequently eat themselves ^*logy". 
Keep the meals moderate in amount and of 
plain foods. 

Again, it is well to keep the boys away from 
the court during the time other teams are at 
play. Watching play is extremely fatiguing, 
especially if one has a keen interest in the out- 
come ; further, so many blunders are apparent 
even in the best of teams ' play, that a feeling of 
over confidence is easily developed in those 
looking on. Any one with scouting experience 
will corroborate that statement. 

Play your best line up at the start of each 
game and have them pile up a lead, if possible. 
Then is the time for substitutions, especially 
for the offensive three men, or of any one par- 
ticular player, and not at the outset of the game. 

3477-^ 



